Inorganic polyphosphate (polyP) is a polymer compromised of linearly arranged orthophosphate units that are linked through high-energy phosphoanhydride bonds. The chain length of this polymer varies from five to several thousand orthophosphates. PolyP is distributed in the most of the living organisms and plays multiple functions in mammalian cells, it is important for blood coagulation, cancer, calcium precipitation, immune response and many others. Essential role of polyP is shown for mitochondria, from implication into energy metabolism and mitochondrial calcium handling to activation of permeability transition pore (PTP) and cell death. PolyP is a gliotransmitter which transmits the signal in astrocytes via activation of P2Y1 receptors and stimulation of phospholipase C. PolyP-induced calcium signal in astrocytes can be stimulated by different lengths of this polymer but only long chain polyP induces mitochondrial depolarization by inhibition of respiration and opening of the PTP. It leads to induction of astrocytic cell death which can be prevented by inhibition of PTP with cyclosporine A. Thus, medium- and short-length polyP plays role in signal transduction and mitochondrial metabolism of astrocytes and long chain of this polymer can be toxic for the cells.
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Scanning electron micrograph of a cell from the endosperm of a barley grain. The cell is tightly packed with large, disk-shaped (A-type) and much smaller, almost spherical (B-type) starch granules. The smooth areas in this image are the surface of the cell walls of neighbouring endosperm cells. For further details see pp. 157-163. Image kindly provided by Elaine Barclay and Vasilios Andriotis (John Innes Centre, Norwich). - PDF Icon PDF LinkTable of Contents
Review Article|
February 09 2016
Role of inorganic polyphosphate in mammalian cells: from signal transduction and mitochondrial metabolism to cell death
Plamena R. Angelova;
Plamena R. Angelova
*Department of Molecular Neuroscience, UCL Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, WC1N 3BG London, U.K.
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Artyom Y. Baev;
Artyom Y. Baev
†Faculty of Biology and Soil Science, National University of Uzbekistan, Tashkent 100174, Uzbekistan
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Alexey V. Berezhnov;
Alexey V. Berezhnov
‡Institute of the Cell Biophysics, Russian Academy of Science, Pushchino, Moscow Region 142290, Russia
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Andrey Y. Abramov
Andrey Y. Abramov
1
*Department of Molecular Neuroscience, UCL Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, WC1N 3BG London, U.K.
1To whom correspondence should be addressed (email a.abramov@ucl.ac.uk).
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Publisher: Portland Press Ltd
Received:
November 18 2015
Online ISSN: 1470-8752
Print ISSN: 0300-5127
© 2016 Authors; published by Portland Press Limited
2016
Biochem Soc Trans (2016) 44 (1): 40–45.
Article history
Received:
November 18 2015
Citation
Plamena R. Angelova, Artyom Y. Baev, Alexey V. Berezhnov, Andrey Y. Abramov; Role of inorganic polyphosphate in mammalian cells: from signal transduction and mitochondrial metabolism to cell death. Biochem Soc Trans 15 February 2016; 44 (1): 40–45. doi: https://doi.org/10.1042/BST20150223
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