The labelling of polyphosphoinositides with [32P]Pi and the accumulation of inositol phosphates in vasopressin-stimulated hepatocytes.

When hepatocytes were incubated with [32P]Pi, the kinetics for the labelling of the monoester phosphate groups of phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate and phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate were similar to each other and slightly slower than that for the labelling of the gamma-phosphate of ATP. Analysis of the water-soluble 3H-labelled materials derived from [3H]inositol-labelled hepatocytes revealed that, in addition to inositol and its mono-, bis- and tris-phosphates (Ins, InsP, InsP2 and InsP3), these cells contained two unidentified radioactive compounds which co-eluted with InsP on anion-exchange chromatography. When [3H]inositol-labelled hepatocytes were stimulated with 0.23 microM-vasopressin in the presence of 10 mM-Li+, there was an accumulation of radioactivity in InsP, InsP2 and InsP3 but not in Ins or the two unidentified compounds. Further analysis of these inositol phosphates by h.p.l.c. revealed that vasopressin also stimulates the accumulation of inositol tetrakisphosphate (InsP4) in these cells. Vasopressin-stimulated InsP and InsP2 accumulations were maximal in the presence of 1-10 mM-Li+ but InsP3 accumulation continued to increase up to 50 mM-Li+. Accumulated inositol phosphates were retained within the cell. Li+ from 1 to 50 mM did not influence the extent of vasopressin-stimulated inositol lipid degradation in hepatocytes. In the absence of Li+, radioactivity in vasopressin-stimulated hepatocytes accumulated almost entirely in free inositol. The vasopressin-stimulated accumulation of inositol phosphates in the presence of 10 mM-Li+ was abolished by a V1-vasopressin antagonist. Inositol phosphate accumulation was not influenced by ionophore A23187, dimethyl sulphoxide or indomethacin.