Inositol 1,4,5,6-tetrakisphosphate is phosphorylated in rat liver by a 3-kinase that is distinct from inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate 3-kinase.

Liver homogenates phosphorylated inositol 1,4,5,6-tetrakisphosphate exclusively to inositol 1,3,4,5,6-pentakisphosphate. Approximately 30% of this phosphorylating activity was associated with the particulate fraction of the cell, in contrast to the inositol 3,4,5,6-tetrakisphosphate 1-kinase, which was 90% soluble. This soluble 1-kinase activity was resolved from the soluble activity that phosphorylated inositol 1,4,5,6-tetrakisphosphate by anion-exchange chromatography. The two phosphorylating activities were also found to be differentially inhibited by inositol 1,3,4-trisphosphate (IC50 for 3-kinase > 100 microM; IC50 for 1-kinase < 1 microM). Thus, we have demonstrated that inositol 1,4,5,6-tetrakisphosphate is phosphorylated directly by a 3-kinase, and inositol 3,4,5,6-tetrakisphosphate is not an obligatory intermediate, in contrast to one previous model (Oliver, K. G., Putney, J. W., Jr., Obie, J. F., and Shears, S. B. (1992) J. Biol. Chem. 267, 21528-21534). Inositol 1,4,5,6-tetrakisphosphate 3-kinase was inhibited by inositol 1,3,4,6-tetrakisphosphate (IC50, 1 microM). Soluble inositol 1,4,5,6-tetrakisphosphate 3-kinase and inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate 3-kinase were resolved by anion-exchange chromatography. Furthermore, cDNA clones of two isozymes of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate 3-kinase from rat and human brain did not phosphorylate inositol 1,4,5,6-tetrakisphosphate. Thus, these two 3-kinase activities are performed by distinct enzymes.