General Synthesis of Phosphatidylinositol Phosphates

Abstract

A general method for synthesis of 3-phosphorylated phosphatidylinositols is described.

Phosphatidylinositol (PI) and phosphatidylinositol phosphates (PIP_n), such as PI-4-P, PI-4,5-P₂ undergo receptor-mediated cleavage by phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C, and are precursors of second messengers important in diverse cellular signaling pathways. In contrast, the 3-phosphorylated phosphatidylinositols, such as PI-3-P (1), PI-3,4-P₂ (2) and PI-3,4,5-P₃ (3), which are formed in response to signals of growth factors, are resistant to hydrolysis by this enzyme, and their cellular function is only beginning to emerge [1,2]. These compounds are formed in minute quantities, and therefore have to be synthesized for many practical applications.