Inositol triphosphate
From Free net encyclopedia
Inositol triphosphate or inositol 1,4,5-triphosphate (also commonly known as triphosphoinositol; abbreviated InsP3 or IP3), together with diacylglycerol, is a second messenger molecule used in signal transduction in biological cells. It is made by hydrolysis of phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate, a phospholipid that is located in the plasma membrane, by phospholipase C.
Its main functions are to mobilize Ca2+ from storage organelles and to regulate cell proliferation and other cellular reactions. For example, in the fruit fly Drosophila, InsP3 is used for intracellular transduction of light recognition in eye cells.
The elevated intracellular concentration of one or more second messengers following binding of an external signaling molecule triggers a rapid alteration in the activity of one or more actions of cAMP.
Inositol tetra-, penta-, and hexa-phosphates have been implicated in gene expression by Wu 2003 and Oshea 2003 (both in Science Magazine).
See also:
- inositol
- inositol phosphate
- myo-inositol (inositol monophosphate).
- inositol pentakisphosphate
- inositol hexaphosphate
- inositol triphosphate receptor