Unimpaired formation of hormone-stimulated inositol triphosphate in human mesangial cells under hyperglycemic conditions

The relationship between bulk cellular myo-inositol content and phosphatidylinositol metabolism was evaluated in a human mesangial cell line under euglycemic and hyperglycemic conditions. Mesangial cells maintained in high glucose medium displayed a concentration-dependent fall in myo-inositol as measured by gas-liquid chromatography. Measurements of phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidylinositol 4-monophosphate and phosphatidylinositol 4,5-biphosphate mass revealed slight but statistically insignificant increases in cells exposed to high glucose containing medium. CDP-diacylglycerol: myo-inositol 3-phosphatidylinositol transferase activity, measured in plasma membranes from mesangial cells grwon under control and hyperglycemic conditions, was kinetically similar with Michaelis constants (K_m values) for myo-inositol of 2.9 and 2.1 mM, respectively. Finally hormone-stimulated intracellular calcium mobilization and myo-inositol 1,4,5-triphosphate mass was measured from mesangial cells grown under normal and hyperglycemic conditions. Both intracellular calcium and inositol triphosphate formation were unchanged in cells previously exposed to high glucose conditions (400 mg/dl) compared to cells grown under normal glucose concentration (100 mg/dl). These data indicate that bulk changes in myo-inositol induced by hyperglycemia are neither associated with alterations in basal levels of inositol containing glycerolipids nor with changes in hormone-stimulated calcium mobilization and inositol trisphosphate formation under conditions of short term changes in extracellular glucose.     

Membrane lipid biosynthesis in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Partial characterization of CDP-diacylglycerol: myo-inositol 3-phosphatidyltransferase

Myo-inositol may be incorporated in the formation of phosphatidylinositol by two mechanisms. One reaction utilizes CDP-diacylglycerol and is catalyzed by phosphatidylinositol (PtdIns) synthase (CDP-diacylglycerol: myo-inositol 3-phosphatidyltransferase, EC 2.7.8.11). The second reaction is the phosphatidylinositol: myo-inositol exchange reaction, in which a free inositol is exchanged for an existing inositol headgroup. This characterization of inositol incorporation into phosphatidylinositol in the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii provides evidence for the presence of both reactions. The transferase reaction required a divalent cation and exhibited its maximum activity at 2.0 mM Mn²⁺. The optimal pH for this reaction was 8.5–9.0. The best substrate concentrations were 0.5 mM CDP-diacylglycerol and 1.2 mM myo-inositol, with an estimated K_m for myo-inositol of 0.2 mM. The exchange reaction also required Mn²⁺ for activity, but became saturated at 0.5 mM Mn²⁺. The optimal pH of the exchange reaction was 8.0, the optimal myo-inositol concentration was 0.3 mM, and the estimated K_m for myo-inositol in this reaction was 0.015 mM. Measurement of the transferase reaction in cell fractions of C. reinhardtii indicated that the activity occurred primarily in the microsomal fraction, with little or no activity in the plastids.     

Reduced Na+/K+ ATPase transport activity,resting membrane potential,and bradykinin-stimulated phosphatidylinositol synthesis by polyol accumulation in cultured neuroblastoma cells

In these studies we examined the effect of polyol accumulation on neural cellmyo-inositol metabolism and properties. Neuroblastoma cells were cultured for two weeks in media containing 30 mM glucose, fructose, galactose or mannose with or without 0.4 mM sorbinil or 250 Mmyo-inositol. Chronic exposure of neuroblastoma cells to media containing 30 mM glucose, galactose, or mannose caused a decrease inmyo- inositol content and myo-[2-³H]inositol accumulation and incorporation into phosphoinositides compared to cells cultured in unsupplemented medium or medium containing 30 mM fructose as an osmotic control. These monosaccharides each caused an increase in intracellular polyol levels with galactitol > sorbitol = mannitol accumulation. Chronic exposure of neuroblastoma cells to media containing 30 mM glucose, galactose, or mannose caused a significant decrease in Na⁺/K⁺ ATPase transport activity, resting membrane potential, and bradykinin-stimulated³²P incorporation into phosphatidylinositol compared to cells cultured in medium containing 30 mM fructose. In contrast, basal incorporation of³²P into phosphatidylinositol or basal and bradykinin-stimulated³²P incorporation into phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate were not effected. Each of these cellular functions as well asmyo-inositol metabolism and content and polyol levels remained near control values when 0.4 mM sorbinil, an aldose reductase inhibitor, was added to the glucose, galactose, or mannose supplemented media.myo-Inositol metabolism and content and bradykinin-stimulated phosphatidylinositol synthesis were also maintained when media containing 30 mM glucose, galactose, or mannose was supplemented with 250 Mmyo-inositol. The results suggest that polyol accumulation induces defects in neural cellmyo-inositol metabolism and certain cell functions which could, if they occurred in vivo, contribute to the pathological defects observed in diabetic neuropathy.     

Trypanosoma brucei Bloodstream Forms Depend upon Uptake of myo-Inositol for Golgi Complex Phosphatidylinositol Synthesis and Normal Cell Growth

myo-Inositol is a building block for all inositol-containing phospholipids in eukaryotes. It can be synthesized de novo from glucose-6-phosphate in the cytosol and endoplasmic reticulum. Alternatively, it can be taken up from the environment via Na⁺- or H⁺-linked myo-inositol transporters. While Na⁺-coupled myo-inositol transporters are found exclusively in the plasma membrane, H⁺-linked myo-inositol transporters are detected in intracellular organelles. In Trypanosoma brucei, the causative agent of human African sleeping sickness, myo-inositol metabolism is compartmentalized. De novo-synthesized myo-inositol is used for glycosylphosphatidylinositol production in the endoplasmic reticulum, whereas the myo-inositol taken up from the environment is used for bulk phosphatidylinositol synthesis in the Golgi complex. We now provide evidence that the Golgi complex-localized T. brucei H⁺-linked myo-inositol transporter (TbHMIT) is essential in bloodstream-form T. brucei. Downregulation of TbHMIT expression by RNA interference blocked phosphatidylinositol production and inhibited growth of parasites in culture. Characterization of the transporter in a heterologous expression system demonstrated a remarkable selectivity of TbHMIT for myo-inositol. It tolerates only a single modification on the inositol ring, such as the removal of a hydroxyl group or the inversion of stereochemistry at a single hydroxyl group relative to myo-inositol.     

Phosphatidylinositol synthesis by a mn-dependent exchange enzyme in castor bean endosperm

myo-Inositol is incorporated into phosphatidylinositol by an exchange reaction associated with the endoplasmic reticulum fraction isolated from post-germination castor bean endosperm. The reaction requires Mn²⁺, has a pH optimum of 8.0, an apparent K_m for myo-inositol of 26 micromolar, and is stimulated about 15-fold by certain cytidine derivatives. The cytidine derivatives appear to be converted to CMP, which may be the only active stimulator. These optimal exchange reaction conditions, both with and without CMP, differ from those for cytidine-5′ -diphosphodiglyceride: myo-inositol transferase (EC 2.7.8), so the exchange does not appear to be a reversal of the transferase. This conclusion is augmented by the low rates of CDP-diglyceride formation from cytidine derivatives when compared to the high rate of myo-inositol incorporation into phosphatidylinositol in the presence of the same cytidine derivatives and identical reaction conditions.     

Phosphatidylinositol(4,5)bisphosphate and Phosphatidylinositol(4)phosphate in Plant Tissues

Pea (Pisum sativum) leaf discs or swimming suspensions of Chlamydomonas eugametos were radiolabeled with [³H]myo-inositol or [³²P]Pi and the lipids were extracted, deacylated, and their glycerol moieties removed. The resulting inositol trisphosphate and bisphosphate fractions were examined by periodate degradation, reduction and dephosphorylation, or by incubation with human red cell membranes. Their likely structures were identified as d-myo-inositol(1,4,5)trisphosphate and d-myo-inositol(1,4,)-bisphosphate. It is concluded that plants contain phosphatidylinositol(4)phosphate and phosphatidylinositol(4,5)bisphosphate; no other polyphosphoinositides were detected.     

Characteristics of a phosphatidylinositol exchange activity of soybean microsomes

Microsome fractions from hypocotyls of dark-grown soybean (Glycine max [L.] Merrill) seedlings incorporated myo-inositol into phosphatidylinositol by an exchange reaction stimulated by Mn²⁺ (optimum at 10 mm) and cytidine nucleotides (CMP = CDP CTP) but not by Mg²⁺ or nucleotides other than cytidine nucleotides. The activity was membrane associated, with an optimum pH of 8, stimulated by auxin, and inhibited by certain thiol reagents or by heating above 40°C. With radioactive inositol, phosphatidylinositol was the only radioactive product. That turnover was by myo-inositol exchange was verified from experiments where unlabeled inositol replaced already incorporated inositol with approximately the same kinetics as for the incorporation of label. Both the incorporation and the displacement reactions were stimulated by Mn²⁺ and CMP and both were responsive to auxin with comparable dose dependency. Corresponding exchange activities with choline or ethanolamine were not observed. The phosphatidylinositol-myo-inositol exchange activity was low or absent from plasma membrane, tonoplast, and mitochondria enriched fractions. The activity co-localized on free-flow electrophoresis and aqueous two-phase partition with NADPH cytochrome c reductase and latent IDPase, markers for endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi apparatus, respectively. With microsomes incubated with both ATP and inositol, polyphosphoinositides were unlabeled demonstrating separate locations for the inositol exchange and phosphatidylinositol kinase reactions. Thus, the auxin-responsive inositol turnover activity of soybean membranes is distinct from the usual de novo biosynthetic pathway. It is not the result of a traditional D-type phospholipase and appears not to involve plasma membrane-associated polyphosphoinositide metabolism. It most closely resembles previously described phosphatidylinositol-myo-inositol exchange activities of plant and animal endoplasmic reticulum.     

Biosynthesis of Indol-3-yl-acetyl-myo-inositol Arabinoside in Kernels of Zea mays L

Extracts of immature kernels of Zea mays L. catalyzed the synthesis of indol-3-yl-acetyl-myo-inositol arabinoside from indol-3-yl-acetyl-myo-inositol and UDP-[U-¹⁴C]xylose. The product contained radioactivity which upon hydrolysis with trifluoroacetic acid cochromatographed with arabinose and not xylose. The amount of product from the reaction was proportional to the amount of indol-3-yl-acetyl-myo-inositol added, and the product was positive to Ehmann's reagent for indoles. In addition, the product and authentic indol-3-yl-acetyl-myo-inositol arabinoside had the same R_F or retention time in three chromatographic systems.     

Phytate metabolism in Petunia pollen

Phytic acid has been detected in the anthers of young flower buds of Petunia hybrida, the amount increasing slowly as the flower develops until anther dehydration, when there was a more rapid increase in phytic acid content. In mature pollen, the phytic acid content was found to be 2.0 % by weight, of which 90 % was water soluble, while free myo-inositol was a relatively low 0.06 % by weight. Breakdown of phytic acid was initiated soon after pollen germination began, and its degradation products, myo-inositol and inorganic phosphate, were rapidly mobilized for phospholipid and pectin biosynthesis. Both are in high demand during pollen tube elongation. Utilization of myo-[2-³H]inositol for phospholipid biosynthesis was about five times that for pectin synthesis during the first few hours of pollen germination. The label in the phospholipid was identified as the myo-inositol moiety of phosphaltidylinositol, while the pectin material contained predominantly labelled arabinose, with smaller amounts of label in galacturonic acid, glucose and xylose. A chase experiment showed that the myo-inositol moiety of phosphatidylinositol was subject to a relatively rapid turnover, while the label in pectin was not. Labelling germinating pollen with [³²P]orthophosphate gave label in phosphatidic acid, phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylcholine of the phospholipids. Phosphatidylinositol contained 30 % of this label initially, a proportion which declined to 10 % over longer periods of germination.     

Comparison of the effect of indoleacetic Acid and fusicoccin on the breakdown of phosphatidylinositol in maize coleoptiles

The effect of indoleacetic acid (IAA) and fusicoccin (FC) on the breakdown of phosphatidylinositol in maize (Zea mays L.) coleoptiles has been studied. Coleoptiles were able to incorporate [³H] myo-inositol into the phospholipid fraction almost linearly for 8 hours. Thin layer chromatography analysis of total phospholipids showed that [³H]myo-inositol was incorporated only into phosphatidylinositol. Prelabeled coleoptiles treated with IAA showed a loss of the radioactivity incorporated in the phospholipid fraction, whose level decreased by 34% after 1 hour. Treatment with FC, on the contrary, did not modify the content of labelled phosphatidylinositol with respect to the control. The different effects of IAA and FC and a possible mechanism of IAA action on growth are discussed.     

A sensitive radioisotopic assay of myo-inositol: Its application to rat pancreatic islets

A radioisotopic procedure for the assay of myo-inositol is presented. It is based on the generation of NADH from NAD⁺ in the reaction catalyzed by myo-inositol dehydrogenase and the subsequent NADH-dependent conversion of 2-[U-¹⁴C]ketoglutarate to ¹⁴C-labeled l-glutamate in the reaction catalyzed by glutamate dehydrogenase. This method was applied to the measurement of myo-inositol in rat pancreatic islets. The myo-inositol islet content was decreased when the animals were fed a diet deprived of myo-inositol. When incubated in the absence of exogenous d-glucose, pancreatic islets, like parotid cells, released myo-inositol in the incubation medium. Over 90 min of incubation, a rise in extracellular d-glucose concentration increased the myo-inositol islet content, which was decreased, however, after incubation in the presence of carbamylcholine. These findings indicate that the myo-inositol content of islets is affected by nutritional and other environmental factors.     

Phosphatidylinositol synthesis in castor bean endosperm: cytidine diphosphate diglyceride:inositol transferase

CDP-diglyceride:inositol transferase in endoplasmic reticulum fractions from castor bean (Ricinus communis) endosperm was partially characterized. The enzyme had a pH optimum of 8.5 and required Mn²⁺ for activity. Maximal activity was at 1.5 millimolar MnCl₂. A K_m of 0.30 mM was calculated for myo-inositol and 1.35 millimolar was estimated for CDP-dipalmitoylglyceride. Concentrations of CDP-dipalmitoylglyceride above 1.2 millimolar inhibited the enzyme. A deoxycholate concentration of 0.1% (w/v) stimulated the reaction slightly while Triton X-100 inhibited at all concentrations tested. Some incorporation of myo-inositol into phosphatidylinositol occurred in the absence of CDP-diglyceride.     

Polyphosphoinositides are present in plasma membranes isolated from fusogenic carrot cells

Fusogenic carrot cells grown in suspension culture were labeled 12 hours with myo-[2-³H]inositol. Plasma membranes were isolated from the prelabeled fusogenic carrot cells by both aqueous polymer two-phase partitioning and Renografin density gradients. With both methods, the plasma membrane-enriched fractions, as identified by marker enzymes, were enriched in [³H]inositol-labeled phosphatidylinositol monophosphate (PIP) and phosphatidylinositol bisphosphate (PIP₂). An additional [³H]inositol-labeled lipid, lysophosphatidylinositol monophosphate, which migrated between PIP and PIP₂ on thin layer plates, was found primarily in the plasma membrane-rich fraction of the fusogenic cells. This was in contrast to lysophosphatidylinositol which is found primarily in the lower phase, microsomal/mitochrondrial-rich fraction.     

Phosphatidyl inositol: myo-Inositol exchange enzyme from rat liver: Partial purification and characterization

The enzyme which catalyzes CDP-diglyceride-independent incorporation of myo-inositol into phosphatidyl inositol was solubilized from rat liver microsomes by sodium cholate and was partially purified by ammonium sulfate fractionation and sucrose density gradient centrifugation. Addition of phospholipids during purification and assay procedures prevented irreversible loss of the enzyme activity to some extent. The resulting preparation contained about 3.7% of the protein and 35% of the original activity of the microsomal fraction. The activity of the enzyme preparation was strongly enhanced by addition of phosphatidyl inositol. The enzyme required Mn²⁺ for activity. The K_m for myo-inositol was 4 × 10^?5m. The pH optimum was 7.4. The activity was inhibited by thiol-reactive reagents and also to some extent by inosose-2 but not by scyllitol. Phosphorus-containing acidic substances such as acidic phospholipids and nucleotides were generally inhibitory. It was found that the preparation catalyzed liberation of inositol moiety from phosphatidyl inositol in a manner dependent on the concentration of free myo-inositol and also on Mn². The K_m of this reaction for free myo-inositol was estimated to be 7 × 10^?5m. This result indicates that CDP-diglyceride-independent incorporation, which has been assumed to show inositol exchange reaction, actually represents an exchange reaction between the myo-inositol moiety of phosphatidyl inositol and free myo-inositol. Phosphatidyl choline and phosphatidyl ethanolamine did not play a role as acceptor of the exchange reaction.     

Studies on avian erythrocyte metabolism: purification and properties of myo-inositol 1-phosphatase form chick erythrocytes

An enzyme capable of hydrolyzing myo-inositol 1-phosphate was identified and partially purified from the erythrocytes of 7-day chicks. It has an apparent molecular weight of approximately 60,000, is heat stable, and has a pH of optimal activity between 6.5 and 7.3. In most regards the kinetic properties are similar to the myo-inositol 1-phosphatases of rat testis, rat mammary gland, bovine brain, and of yeast. The enzyme has an absolute requirement for a divalent cation; Mg²⁺ gave the greatest activity, with an optimal concentration of 2.5 mm in the standard assay employed. Zn²⁺, Co²⁺, and Mn²⁺ supported activity to a lesser degree. Activity was inhibited by NaF, HgCl₂, and p-hydroxymercuribenzoate. myo-Inositol tetrakis (dihydrogen phosphate) and myo-inositol 1,3,4,5,6-pentakis (dihydrogen phosphate) were not substrates for this enzyme and inhibited the hydrolysis of myo-inositol 1-phosphate. Unlike other phosphatases for myo-inositol 1-phosphate, this enzyme cleaved myo-inositol 1-phosphate (K_m = 8.6 × 10^?5 m) and myo-inositol 2-phosphate (K_m = 2.86 × 10^?4 m) at approximately the same rates. It also hydrolyzed 2′-purine and pyrimidine ribonucleotides about as well as myo-inositol 1-phosphate, but was only 20–30% as active against the 3′-ribonucleotides and had scarcely any activity against the 5′-ribonucleotides. The amount of enzyme activity in erythrocytes of embryos, chicks, and mature chickens was the same (~29 μmol/ml rbc/h). The biological function of this enzyme in avian erythrocytes is unclear at this time. Other tissues containing this phosphatase also have an enzyme which synthesizes myo-inositol 1-phosphate from glucose 6-phosphate, but we have been unable to detect the presence of such an enzyme in avian erythrocytes.     

myo-Inositol homeostasis in foetal rabbit lung

In several species, lung maturation is accompanied by a decline in the phosphatidylinositol content of lung surfactant and a concomitant increase in its phosphatidylglycerol content. To examine the possibility that this developmental change is influenced by the availability of myo-inositol, potential sources of myo-inositol for the developing rabbit lung were investigated. On day 28 of gestation the myo-inositol content of foetal rabbit lung tissue (2.3±0.5μmol/g of tissue) was not significantly different from that of adult lung tissue but the activity of d-glucose 6-phosphate:1l-myo-inositol 1-phosphate cyclase (cyclase) in foetal lung tissue (81.0±9.0nmol·h⁻¹·g of tissue⁻¹) was higher than that found in adult lung tissue (23.2±1.0nmol·h⁻¹·g of tissue⁻¹). Day 28 foetal rabbit lung tissue was found also to take up myo-inositol by a specific, energy-dependent, Na⁺-requiring mechanism. Half-maximal uptake of myo-inositol by foetal rabbit lung slices was observed when the concentration of myo-inositol in the incubation medium was 85μm. When the myo-inositol concentration was 1mm (but not 100μm) the addition of glucose (5.5mm) stimulated myo-inositol uptake. myo-Inositol uptake was observed also in adult rabbit lung and was found to be sub-maximal at the concentration of myo-inositol found in adult rabbit serum. The concentration of myo-inositol in the serum of pregnant adult rabbits (47.5±5.5μm) was significantly lower than that of non-pregnant adult female rabbits (77.9±9.2μm). On day 28 of gestation the concentration of myo-inositol in foetal serum (175.1±12.0μm) was much less than on day 25, but more than that found on day 30. A transient post-partum increase in the concentration of myo-inositol in serum was followed by a rapid decline. Much of the myo-inositol in foetal rabbit serum probably originates from the placenta, where on day 28 of gestation a high cyclase activity (527±64nmol·h⁻¹·g of tissue⁻¹) was measured. The gestational decline in serum myo-inositol concentration, together with the decreasing cyclase activity of the lungs, is consistent with the view that maturation of the lungs is accompanied by decreased availability of myo-inositol to this tissue.     

Dietary phytase and myo-inositol supplementation are associated with distinct plasma metabolome profile in broiler chickens

Phytase enzyme is used as a dietary supplement in broiler nutrition to improve phosphorous bioavailability. Phytase deliberates phosphate groups from phytic acid and produces myo-inositol after total dephosphorylation. Myo-inositol is a bioactive compound having beneficial modulatory effects on metabolism in humans. However, it is not well understood if and how phytic acid degradation products, particularly myo-inositol, can modulate metabolism in broiler chicken. The purpose of this study was to investigate effects of dietary supplements of phytase and myo-inositol on the blood plasma metabolome profile of broiler chickens. Broilers were provided a nutrient-adequate control diet or the same diet supplemented with either 3.5 g myo-inositol or 500, 1500 or 3000 units of phytase, per kilogram of feed (grower diet). Broilers were group-housed in floor pens (eight pens per diet) and provided one of the treatment diets for 22 days. Then, blood was collected from one bird per pen, resulting in eight replicated measurements per diet. A targeted metabolomics approach was applied to the heparin plasma. Body weight of the birds was not significantly affected by the treatments. Plasma myo-inositol concentrations were significantly increased by myo-inositol supplementation and phytase supplementation at 500 and 1500 units/kg. Metabolites generally affected by phytase supplementation belonged to the groups of acyl-carnitines, phosphatidylcholines, sphingomyelins, lysophosphatidylcholine, biogenic amines and amino acids. Compared to the control diet, phytase supplements had significantly higher plasma concentrations of kynurenine and creatinine, but lower concentrations of histamine and cis-4-hydroxyproline. Myo-inositol supplementation significantly increased plasma concentrations of dopamine and serotonine. While some metabolites were similarly affected by myo-inositol and phytase supplementation, others were distinctly differently affected. We conclude that myo-inositol, either as a directly added supplement or indirectly released from phytate upon phytase supplementation, can affect specific metabolic pathways. Additional effects found on phytase supplementation may be related to intermediary phytate degradation products. Results are indicative for innovative hypothesis to be tested in future experiments, for instance, with regard to relationships between phytase or myo-inositol supplements and bird immunity or behaviour.     

Metabolism of myo-Inositol and growth in various sugars of suspension-cultured tobacco cells

Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) cells were cultured in a liquid medium which contained sucrose as a source of carbon and energy. Various cell-wall constituents and wall precursors (L-arabinose, D-xylose, D-galactose, D-mannose, D-glucuronate, myo-inositol) were added to cells growing in this medium to by-pass possible rate-limiting steps in the relevant metabolic pathways. None of these compounds stimulated growth as measured by increase in fresh weight; myo-inositol did cause a slight increase and L-arabinose a decrease in dry weight accumulation compared to controls grown on sucrose only. Although myo-inositol was not needed for rapid growth, tracer level amounts of [2-³H]myo-inositol were rapidly absorbed and metabolized. Label was incorporated into the uronide and pentose residues of cell walls and exocellular polysaccharide.     

[3H]Indole-3-Acetyl-myo-Inositol Hydrolysis by Extracts of Zea mays L. Vegetative Tissue

[³H]Indole-3-acetyl-myo-inositol was hydrolyzed by buffered extracts of acetone powders prepared from 4 day shoots of dark grown Zea mays L. seedlings. The hydrolytic activity was proportional to the amount of extract added and was linear for up to 6 hours at 37°C. Boiled or alcohol denatured extracts were inactive. Analysis of reaction mixtures by high performance liquid chromatography demonstrated that not all isomers of indole-3-acetyl-myo-inositol were hydrolyzed at the same rate. Buffered extracts of acetone powders were prepared from coleoptiles and mesocotyls. The rates of hydrolysis observed with coleoptile extracts were greater than those observed with mesocotyl extracts. Active extracts also catalyzed the hydrolysis of esterase substrates such as α-naphthyl acetate and the methyl esters of indoleacetic acid and naphthyleneacetic acid. Attempts to purify the indole-3-acetyl-myo-inositol hydrolyzing activity by chromatographic procedures resulted in only slight purification with large losses of activity. Chromatography over hydroxylapatite allowed separation of two enzymically active fractions, one of which catalyzed the hydrolysis of both indole-3-acetyl-myo-inositol and esterase substrates. With the other fraction enzymic hydrolysis of esterase substrates was readily demonstrated, but no hydrolysis of indole-3-acetyl-myo-inositol was ever detected.     

myo-Inositol binding and transport in brush border membranes of rat kidney

Using hypotonically treated brush border membranes, binding and transport of myo-inositol were examined.By hypotonic treatment, both total and non-specific uptake decreased significantly, but specific uptake was not affected.myo-Inositol release from membranes preloaded by incubation for 2 min was very rapid and about 98% of preloaded myo-inositol was released in 5 min of incubation. However, myo-inositol release from membranes preloaded by incubation for 20 min was fairly slow and 50% of myo-inositol remained in the membranes even after 10 min of incubation.Uptake of myo-inositol decreased by the increase of osmolarity in the medium. However, effect of osmolarity on the uptake was less significant when myo-inositol concentration was lower.Under conditions in which mainly binding occurred, myo-inositol binding to the membranes was measured. Two binding systems were demonstrated and high affinity site could bind 22 pmol/mg protein at most and the apparent $\text{K}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>m</mtext>}}$ value was 8.3 μM.Both binding and transport processes were dependent on Na⁺ and enhanced by Na⁺-gradient.