A femtomole-sensitivity mass assay for inositol hexakisphosphate.

Inositol hexakisphosphate (InsP(6)) is an important component of cells, and its mass levels are usually assayed by either (a) equilibrium labelling of cell cultures with radiolabelled inositol or (b) by a variety of mass assays of differing sensitivities and ambiguities. Here, we describe a mass assay for InsP(6) that is based on phosphorylating InsP(6) with [(32)P]-ATP to 5-(PP)InsP(5) using a recombinant Giardia InsP(6) kinase and quantification of the radiolabelled 5-[(32)P](PP)InsP(5) product by anion exchange HPLC with an internal [(3)H]-(PP)InsP(5) standard. Interference with the enzyme reaction by other factors in the tissue extract is corrected for by assay of identical aliquots of tissue spiked with known amounts of InsP(6). This assay only measures InsP(6) (and not other inositol phosphates), and although it is simple in principle and requires no dedicated or specialised equipment, it is quite time-consuming. But the assay is unambiguous and is capable of quantifying accurately as little as 10 fmol of InsP(6) in a cell extract.

Genomic tagging reveals a random association of endogenous PtdIns5P 4-kinases IIalpha and IIbeta and a partial nuclear localization of the IIalpha isoform.

PtdIns5P 4-kinases IIalpha and IIbeta are cytosolic and nuclear respectively when transfected into cells, including DT40 cells [Richardson, Wang, Clarke, Patel and Irvine (2007) Cell. Signalling 19, 1309-1314]. In the present study we have genomically tagged both type II PtdIns5P 4-kinase isoforms in DT40 cells. Immunoprecipitation of either isoform from tagged cells, followed by MS, revealed that they are associated directly with each other, probably by heterodimerization. We quantified the cellular levels of the type II PtdIns5P 4-kinase mRNAs by real-time quantitative PCR and the absolute amount of each isoform in immunoprecipitates by MS using selective reaction monitoring with 14N,13C-labelled internal standard peptides. The results suggest that the dimerization is complete and random, governed solely by the relative concentrations of the two isoforms. Whereas PtdIns5P 4-kinase IIbeta is >95% nuclear, as expected, the distribution of PtdIns4P 4-kinase IIalpha is 60% cytoplasmic (all bound to membranes) and 40% nuclear. In vitro, PtdIns5P 4-kinase IIalpha was 2000-fold more active as a PtdIns5P 4-kinase than the IIbeta isoform. Overall the results suggest a function of PtdIns5P 4-kinase IIbeta may be to target the more active IIalpha isoform into the nucleus.

Do mammals make all their own inositol hexakisphosphate?

A highly specific and sensitive mass assay for inositol hexakisphosphate (InsP6) was characterized. This centres around phosphorylating InsP6 with [32P]ATP using a recombinant InsP6 kinase from Giardia lambia, followed by HPLC of the 32P-labelled products with an internal [3H]InsP7 standard. This assay was used to quantify InsP6 levels in a variety of biological samples.Concentrations of InsP6 in rat tissues varied from 10-20 microM (assuming 64% of wet weight of tissue is cytosol water), whereas using the same assumption axenic Dictyostelium discoideum cells contained 352 +/- 11 microM InsP6. HeLa cells were seeded at low density and grown to confluence, at which point they contained InsP6 levels per mg of protein similar to rat tissues. This amounted to 1.952 +/- 0.117 nmol InsP6 per culture dish, despite the cells being grown in serum shown to contain no detectable(less than 20 pmol per dish) InsP6. These results demonstrate that mammalian cells synthesize all their own InsP6. Human blood was analysed, and although the white cell fraction contained InsP6 at a concentration comparable with other tissues, in serum and platelet-free plasma no InsP6 was detected (<1 nM InsP6). Human urine was also examined, and also contained no detectable (<5 nM) InsP6. These results suggest that dietary studies purporting to measure InsP6 at micromolar concentrations in human plasma or urine may not have been quantifying this inositol phosphate. Therefore claims that administrating InsP6 in the diet or applying it topically can produce health benefits by increasing extracellular InsP6 levels may require reassessment.

Effects of lipid kinase expression and cellular stimuli on phosphatidylinositol 5-phosphate levels in mammalian cell lines.

Phosphatidylinositol 5-phosphate (PtdIns5P) is a relatively recently discovered inositol lipid whose metabolism and functions are not yet clearly understood. We have transfected cells with a number of enzymes that are potentially implicated in the synthesis or metabolism of PtdIns5P, or subjected cells to a variety of stimuli, and then measured cellular PtdIns5P levels by a specific mass assay. Stable or transient overexpression of Type IIalpha PtdInsP kinase, or transient overexpression of Type Ialpha or IIbeta PtdInsP kinases caused no significant change in cellular PtdIns5P levels. Similarly, subjecting cells to oxidative stress or EGF stimulation had no significant effect on PtdIns5P, but stimulation of HeLa cells with a phosphoinositide-specific PLC-coupled agonist, histamine, caused a 40% decrease within 1 min. Our data question the degree to which inositide kinases regulate PtdIns5P levels in cells, and we discuss the possibility that a significant part of both the synthesis and removal of this lipid may be regulated by phosphatases and possibly phospholipases.

Structure of a human inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate 3-kinase: substrate binding reveals why it is not a phosphoinositide 3-kinase.

Mammalian cells produce a variety of inositol phosphates (InsPs), including Ins(1,4,5)P3 that serves both as a second messenger and as a substrate for inositol polyphosphate kinases (IPKs), which further phosphorylate it. We report the structure of an IPK, the human Ins(1,4,5)P3 3-kinase-A, both free and in complexes with substrates and products. This enzyme catalyzes transfer of a phosphate from ATP to the 3-OH of Ins(1,4,5)P3, and its X-ray crystal structure provides a template for understanding a broad family of InsP kinases. The catalytic domain consists of three lobes. The N and C lobes bind ATP and resemble protein and lipid kinases, despite insignificant sequence similarity. The third lobe binds inositol phosphate and is a unique four-helix insertion in the C lobe. This lobe embraces all of the phosphates of Ins(1,4,5)P3 in a positively charged pocket, explaining the enzyme's substrate specificity and its inability to phosphorylate PtdIns(4,5)P2, the membrane-resident analog of Ins(1,4,5)P3.

Type IIalpha phosphatidylinositol phosphate kinase associates with the plasma membrane via interaction with type I isoforms.

The phosphatidylinositol phosphate kinases (PIPkins) are a family of enzymes involved in regulating levels of several functionally important inositol phospholipids within cells. The PIPkin family is subdivided into three on the basis of substrate specificity, each subtype presumably regulating levels of different subsets of the inositol lipids. The physiological function of the type II isoforms, which exhibit a preference for phosphatidylinositol 5-phosphate, a lipid about which very little is known, is particularly poorly understood. In the present study, we demonstrate interaction between, and co-immunoprecipitation of, type IIalpha PIPkin with the related, but biochemically and immunologically distinct, type I PIPkin isoforms. Type IIalpha PIPkin interacts with all three known type I PIPkins (alpha, beta and gamma), and in each case co-expression of the type I isoform with type IIalpha results in recruitment of the latter from the cytosol to the plasma membrane of the cell. This change in subcellular localization could result in improved access of the type IIalpha PIPkin to its lipid substrates.