The Chilton Conference on Inositol and Phosphoinositides, held on January 9-11, 1984 at Southwestern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center, Dallas, Texas, was the third in a series of conferences on cyclitols and phosphoinositides. The first took place in 1968 in New York [Ann. New York Acad. Sci. (1969), 765,508-819] and the second was held in 1977 in East Lansing, Michigan [eyclitols and Phosphoinositides, Wells, W. W. and Eisenberg, F. , eds. , (1978) Academic press, New York, pp. 1-607. ] In the interim since the previous conference, not only has the pace of research in the field accelerated markedly, but the physiological importance of phosphoinositide metabolism has become apparent to an increasing number of investigators from diverse fields in the life sciences. Thus it seemed to us timely for both recent and established workers in this area, as well as others whose interests impinged on it, to meet in order to disseminate new information, to review, and perhaps arrive at, a consensus of our current understanding of the role of inositol and phosphoinositides, and to establish new directions for research for the next few years. The expansion of the field since the last meeting made it mandatory to restrict the scope of the topics covered at the conference, primarily to aspects dealing with mammalian systems. We sincerely regretted the exclusion of recent research on cyclitols and phosphoinositides in microbes and plants and hope that these areas will be included in future conferences.

Contenu
I: myo-Inositol Metabolism and Homeostasis.- The Mechanism of Enzymatic Isomerization of Glucose 6-Phosphate to L-myo-Inositol 1-Phosphate.- Regulation of the Lipid Composition of Lung Surfactant.- Nutritional Regulation of the Composition, Metabolism, and Function of Cellular Phosphatidylinositol.- Detection of Receptor-Linked Phosphoinositide Metabolism in Brain of Lithium-Treated Rats.- Propranolol-Induced Membrane Perturbation and the Metabolism of Phosphoinositides and Arachidonoyl Diacylglycerols in the Retina.- Neurotransmitter Receptor-Mediated myo-Inositol 1-Phosphate Accumulation in Hippocampal Slices.- Early Events in the Selective Cytotoxicity to Tumor Cells Induced by Liposomes Containing Plant Phosphatidylinositol.- Discussion.- II: Phosphoinositide Biosynthesis and Degradation.- Phosphatidylinositol Synthase in Mammalian Pancreas.- The Enzymology of Phosphoinositide Catabolism, with Particular Reference to Phosphatidylinositol 4,5-Bisphosphate Phosphodiesterase.- Subcellular Sites of Polyphosphoinositide Metabolism in Rat Liver.- Loss of Phosphatidylinositol and Gain in Phosphatidate in Neutrophils Stimulated with FMet-Leu-Phe.- The De Novo Phospholipid Synthesis Effect: Occurrence, Characteristics, Underlying Mechanisms, and Functional Significance in Hormone Action and Secretion.- Hydrolysis of Phosphatidylinositol 4-Phosphate and Phosphatidylinositol(4,5)-Bisphosphate by Specific Phosphomonoesterases in Human Erythrocytes.- Drug-Induced Modifications of Phosphoinositide Metabolism.- Discussion.- III: Receptor-Mediated Alterations in Phosphoinositide Metabolism.- Inositol Lipid Breakdown in Receptor-Mediated Responses of Sympathetic Ganglia and Sympathetically Innervated Tissues.- Hormone Effects on Phosphoinositide Metabolism in Liver.- Relationship Between Vasopressin Activation of Rat Hepatocyte Glycogen Phosphorylase, Inhibition of Ca2+-Mg2+-ATPase, and Phosphoinositide Breakdown.- Polyphosphoinositides and Muscarinic Cholinergic and ?1-Adrenergic Receptors in the Iris Smooth Muscle.- The Phosphatidylinositol Effect in the Retina: Role of Light and Neurotransmitters.- Ca2+-Mobilizing Agonists Stimulate a Polyphosphoinositide-Specific Phospholipase C in Rat Parotid Gland.- Phosphatidylinositol Degradation is Directly Proportional to the Rate of Cell Division in Embryonic Chicken Lens Epithelia.- Discussion.- IV: Phosphoinositides, Calcium, and Protein Phosphorylation.- Messages of the Phosphoinositide Effect.- Inositol Trisphosphate and Calcium Mobilization.- Calcium-Phosphatidylinositol Interactions in Secretory Cells and the Role of Arachidonic Acid.- Calcium and Inositol Phospholipid Degradation in Signal Transduction.- The Role of Phosphoprotein B-50 in Phosphoinositide Metabolism in Brain Synaptic Plasma Membranes.- Purification of Protein Kinase C and Phorbol Ester Receptor Using Polyacrylamide-Immobilized Phosphatidylserine.- Second Messenger Role of Inositol Trisphosphate for Mobilization of Intracellular Calcium in Liver.- Discussion.- V: Phosphoinositides and Arachidonic Acid Mobilization.- Mechanisms for Eicosanoid Precursor Uptake and Release by a Tissue Culture Cell Line.- The Mobilization of Arachidonate and Metabolism of Phosphoinositides in Stimulated Human Platelets.- The Relevance of Inositide Degradation and Protein Kinase C in Platelet Responses.- Regulation of Arachidonic Acid Release for Prostaglandin Production During Parturition.- Is Phosphatidylinositol Involved in the Release of Free Fatty Acids in Cerebral Ischemia?.- Endogenous Phospholipid Metabolism in Stimulated Human Platelets: ALink Between Inositide Breakdown and Calcium Mobilization.- Phosphatidylinositol Turnover in Madin-Darby Canine Kidney Cells: Comparison of Stimulation by A23187 and 12-O-Tetradecanoyl-Phorbol-13-Acetate.- Discussion.- VI: Phosphoinositide Metabolism in the Nervous System.- Inositol, Sorbitol, and Diabetic Neuropathy.- Altered Nerve myo-lnositol Metabolism in Experimental Diabetes and Its Relationship to Nerve Function.- Changes in Peripheral Nerve Polyphosphoinositide Metabolism in Experimental Diabetes: Nature and Significance.- Relationship of Inositol, Phosphatidylinositol, and Phosphatidic Acid in CNS Nerve Endings.- Polyphosphoinositide Turnover in the Nervous System.- Metabolism of Inositol-Containing Phospholipids in the Superior Cervical Ganglion of the Rat.- Discussion.- Concluding RemarksA Bright Future.- Abstracts.- Index of Abstract Authors.