title: Inositol lipids in cellular signalling mechanisms.
abstract: At the opening of the 1980s, two camps vigorously contested whether receptor-stimulated inositol lipid hydrolysis was a transmembrane signalling reaction that brought about an elevation of cytosolic [Ca2+] or simply a frequent, but unexplained, response of many stimulated cells to a stimulated elevation of cytosolic [Ca2+]. Since 1984, this discussion has been replaced by intensive work that is well on the way to providing a detailed description of the complex set of signalling pathways initiated by phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate hydrolysis to form the second messengers inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate and 1,2-diacylglycerol. In addition, it has been realized that cells closely regulate their levels both of a novel family of 3-phosphorylated inositol lipids and of a large number of water-soluble inositol polyphosphates; the definition of the functions of these molecules will be a job for the 1990s.
authors.affiliation: School of Biochemistry, University of Birmingham, UK.
authors.forename: R H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Michell
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000502:physiology; D002450:Cell Communication; D002455:Cell Division; D006801:Humans; D010716:Phosphatidylinositols / Q000502:physiology*; D015398:Signal Transduction
chemical_list: D010716:Phosphatidylinositols; D002118:Calcium