Effects of inositol starvation on the levels of inositol phosphates and inositol lipids in Neurospora crassa.

An inositol-requiring strain of Neurospora crassa was labelled during growth in liquid medium with [3H]inositol, and the levels of inositol phosphates and phosphoinositides were determined under inositol-sufficient and inositol-starved conditions. Because the mutant has an absolute requirement for inositol, the total mass of inositol-containing compounds could be determined. Inositol-containing lipids were identified by deacylation and co-migration with standards on h.p.l.c.; PtdIns3P, PtdIns4P, and PtdIns(4,5)P2 were found in approximately equal amounts, in addition to large amounts of PtdIns. Inositol starvation decreased the level of PtdIns to 10% of the sufficient level, and decreased the levels of the other phosphoinositides to about 25%. A number of inositol phosphates were found, including several InsP3s, InsP4s and InsP5s and phytic acid. Ins(1,4,5)P3 was identified by co-migration with standards on h.p.l.c. and by digestion with inositol phosphomonoesterase. High concentrations of all inositol phosphates were found in the extracellular medium in inositol-starved cultures. Inositol starvation on both liquid and solid agar media decreased the intracellular levels of some inositol phosphates, but increased the levels of phytic acid and several other inositol phosphates which may be its precursors and/or breakdown products. These results may indicate that inositol starvation induces phytic acid synthesis as a protection against the free-radical production and lipid peroxidation characteristic of inositol-less death.