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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Ivana Vucenik

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

School of Medicine, University of Maryland, 100 Penn Street, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
Interests: IP6; myo-inositol; other cyclitols: methods and determination; biological role; health-promoting activities; cancer; insulin resistance; pathological calcification
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Abulkalam M. M. Shamsuddin

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

1. Scientific Research Early Detection, Inc., San Diego, CA, USA
2. IP-6 Research, Inc., Baltimore, MD, USA
3. Department of Natural Sciences, Coppin State University, Baltimore, MD, USA
Interests: carcinogenesis; markers of precancer and cancer; cancer screening tests; cancer prevention; regulation of cell growth and differentiation; inositol phosphates
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Inositol phosphates are a group of mono- to hexaphosphorylated inositols, including InsP1, InsP2, InsP3, InsP4, InsP5, InsP6, and inositol pyrophosphates. As a huge and complex family of biomolecules, inositol phosphates are important in regulating vital cellular functions, signal transduction, energy transmission, and ion channel physiology and serving as structural components of cell membranes.

Inositol phosphates are an important group of biomolecules present in eukaryotic cells. The most abundant member of this family in nature is InsP(6), usually known as phytate. As an important component of seeds, legumes, nuts, and whole grains, it has been proven to be beneficial to human health in a variety of diseases, including cancer, PCOS, metabolic diseases, pathological calcification, and neuropsychiatric diseases. Despite all the recent advances, many aspects of inositol phosphates are still not clear, so more research is needed.

This Special Issue of Biomolecules is dedicated to covering recent advances in our understanding and perspectives on inositol phosphates. Our aim is to compile a Special Issue describing recent advances in inositol phosphates in health and disease.

Dr. Ivana Vucenik
Prof. Dr. Abulkalam M. M. Shamsuddin
Guest Editors

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Review

17 pages, 1473 KiB

Open AccessReview

Kcs1 and Vip1: The Key Enzymes behind Inositol Pyrophosphate Signaling in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

by Larisa Ioana Gogianu, Lavinia Liliana Ruta and Ileana Cornelia Farcasanu

Biomolecules 2024, 14(2), 152; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/biom14020152 - 26 Jan 2024

Viewed by 912

Abstract

The inositol pyrophosphate pathway, a complex cell signaling network, plays a pivotal role in orchestrating vital cellular processes in the budding yeast, where it regulates cell cycle progression, growth, endocytosis, exocytosis, apoptosis, telomere elongation, ribosome biogenesis, and stress responses. This pathway has gained significant attention in pharmacology and medicine due to its role in generating inositol pyrophosphates, which serve as crucial signaling molecules not only in yeast, but also in higher eukaryotes. As targets for therapeutic development, genetic modifications within this pathway hold promise for disease treatment strategies, offering practical applications in biotechnology. The model organism Saccharomyces cerevisiae, renowned for its genetic tractability, has been instrumental in various studies related to the inositol pyrophosphate pathway. This review is focused on the Kcs1 and Vip1, the two enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of inositol pyrophosphate in S. cerevisiae, highlighting their roles in various cell processes, and providing an up-to-date overview of their relationship with phosphate homeostasis. Moreover, the review underscores the potential applications of these findings in the realms of medicine and biotechnology, highlighting the profound implications of comprehending this intricate signaling network. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Inositol Phosphates in Health and Disease - Volume II)

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Figure 1

19 pages, 3096 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperReview

The Role of Inositol Hexakisphosphate Kinase in the Central Nervous System

by Tyler Heitmann and James C. Barrow

Biomolecules 2023, 13(9), 1317; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/biom13091317 - 28 Aug 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1280

Abstract

Inositol is a unique biological small molecule that can be phosphorylated or even further pyrophosphorylated on each of its six hydroxyl groups. These numerous phosphorylation states of inositol along with the kinases and phosphatases that interconvert them comprise the inositol phosphate signaling pathway. Inositol hexakisphosphate kinases, or IP6Ks, convert the fully mono-phosphorylated inositol to the pyrophosphate 5-IP7 (also denoted IP7). There are three isoforms of IP6K: IP6K1, 2, and 3. Decades of work have established a central role for IP6Ks in cell signaling. Genetic and pharmacologic manipulation of IP6Ks in vivo and in vitro has shown their importance in metabolic disease, chronic kidney disease, insulin signaling, phosphate homeostasis, and numerous other cellular and physiologic processes. In addition to these peripheral processes, a growing body of literature has shown the role of IP6Ks in the central nervous system (CNS). IP6Ks have a key role in synaptic vesicle regulation, Akt/GSK3 signaling, neuronal migration, cell death, autophagy, nuclear translocation, and phosphate homeostasis. IP6Ks’ regulation of these cellular processes has functional implications in vivo in behavior and CNS anatomy. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Inositol Phosphates in Health and Disease - Volume II)

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