Polyphosphoinositides in normal and neoplastic rodent astrocytes

Polyphosphoinositides were identified in dispersed cell cultures of normal newborn hamster astrocytes and of a chemically transformed adult rat astrocytoma (C6) and are therefore presumed to be constituents of immature astrocytes in brain. Small amounts were also detected in astrocytomas grown as subcutaneous tumors. These lipids were metabolically highly active, accounting for a substantial fraction of ³²P_i incorporated into phospholipids. Astrocytes may thus contain a small pool of polyphosphoinositides metabolically distinct from that in myelin.