Definition and research guide
This page combines a MeSH definition, publication statistics and selected research abstracts. It is a starting point for reading the literature, not a medical textbook or a systematic evidence review.
Content available: 4 complete abstracts (689 words), 10 references. Full article text is not stored or reproduced here; follow the PMID, DOI or PMC links to read the original sources and their access terms.
Definition
Phosphoric acid esters of inositol. They include mono- and polyphosphoric acid esters, with the exception of inositol hexaphosphate which is phytic acid.
Definition: NLM Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) scope note (Public domain (U.S. National Library of Medicine); attribution requested). View the MeSH record.
Also known as: Phosphates, Inositol; Inositol Phosphate; Phosphate, Inositol.
Where it fits in the MeSH classification
- Broader topics
- Inositol; Sugar Phosphates
- Narrower topics
- Inositol 1,4,5-Trisphosphate; Phytic Acid
Related concepts
Research landscape
PubMed indexes 17,666 records tagged with the MeSH heading “Inositol Phosphates” (counts retrieved 2026-10-31). 1,328 of them (7.5%) were published from 2020 onward, and the busiest period so far is through 1999 with 10,279 records.
Reviews account for 1,229 records (7.0%) and meta-analyses for 11. Randomized controlled trials number 131 (0.7%) as a share of all records on the topic. Randomized trials make up only a small share of this literature, so much of what is known comes from laboratory, observational or descriptive work.
Show the data
| Period | Records |
|---|---|
| through 1999 | 10,279 |
| 2000-2009 | 3,794 |
| 2010-2019 | 2,265 |
| 2020 onward | 1,328 |
Publication-type chart data
| Type | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews | 1,229 | 7.0% |
| Meta-analyses | 11 | 0.1% |
| Randomized controlled trials | 131 | 0.7% |
Method: PubMed query "Inositol Phosphates"[MeSH Terms] with publication-type and date filters, retrieved 2026-10-31.
Reading the evidence in drugs and chemicals
Studies of a chemical or drug can answer very different questions: what it is and how it behaves in cells and animals, how the body handles it, and whether it changes outcomes in people. Laboratory and animal findings often do not carry over to patients, and observational studies of exposures are confounded by who uses a substance and why. Nothing on this page is a recommendation to use, avoid, start or stop any substance or medicine; talk to a qualified clinician or pharmacist about your own situation. Check the dose, the species, the comparison group and whether a patient-relevant outcome was measured.
Evidence from open-access studies
These open-access studies come from PubMed’s best-match results for this heading (papers whose main topic it is), ranked here by citation count, with one recent addition. Each abstract is reproduced in full under its recorded open licence so that you can read the authors’ own words. They illustrate the literature; they are not a systematic summary of it. Citation counts measure attention, not reliability or clinical benefit.
Inositol pyrophosphates promote the interaction of SPX domains with the coiled-coil motif of PHR transcription factors to regulate plant phosphate homeostasis [1]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Phosphorus is an essential nutrient taken up by organisms in the form of inorganic phosphate (Pi).
- Closing excerpt
- Together, our findings suggest that InsP8 regulates plant Pi homeostasis by controlling the oligomeric state and hence the promoter binding capability of PHRs via their SPX receptors.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (172 words)
Phosphorus is an essential nutrient taken up by organisms in the form of inorganic phosphate (Pi). Eukaryotes have evolved sophisticated Pi sensing and signaling cascades, enabling them to stably maintain cellular Pi concentrations. Pi homeostasis is regulated by inositol pyrophosphate signaling molecules (PP-InsPs), which are sensed by SPX domain-containing proteins. In plants, PP-InsP-bound SPX receptors inactivate Myb coiled-coil (MYB-CC) Pi starvation response transcription factors (PHRs) by an unknown mechanism. Here we report that a InsP8-SPX complex targets the plant-unique CC domain of PHRs. Crystal structures of the CC domain reveal an unusual four-stranded anti-parallel arrangement. Interface mutations in the CC domain yield monomeric PHR1, which is no longer able to bind DNA with high affinity. Mutation of conserved basic residues located at the surface of the CC domain disrupt interaction with the SPX receptor in vitro and in planta, resulting in constitutive Pi starvation responses. Together, our findings suggest that InsP8 regulates plant Pi homeostasis by controlling the oligomeric state and hence the promoter binding capability of PHRs via their SPX receptors.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 33452263 · DOI · PMC7810988
A conducting polymer with enhanced electronic stability applied in cardiac models [2]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Electrically active constructs can have a beneficial effect on electroresponsive tissues, such as the brain, heart, and nervous system.
- Closing excerpt
- This provides a robust conductive system that could be used at the interface with electroresponsive tissue to better understand the interaction and effect of these materials on the electrophysiology of these tissues.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (210 words)
Electrically active constructs can have a beneficial effect on electroresponsive tissues, such as the brain, heart, and nervous system. Conducting polymers (CPs) are being considered as components of these constructs because of their intrinsic electroactive and flexible nature. However, their clinical application has been largely hampered by their short operational time due to a decrease in their electronic properties. We show that, by immobilizing the dopant in the conductive scaffold, we can prevent its electric deterioration. We grew polyaniline (PANI) doped with phytic acid on the surface of a chitosan film. The strong chelation between phytic acid and chitosan led to a conductive patch with retained electroactivity, low surface resistivity (35.85 ± 9.40 kilohms per square), and oxidized form after 2 weeks of incubation in physiological medium. Ex vivo experiments revealed that the conductive nature of the patch has an immediate effect on the electrophysiology of the heart. Preliminary in vivo experiments showed that the conductive patch does not induce proarrhythmogenic activities in the heart. Our findings set the foundation for the design of electronically stable CP-based scaffolds. This provides a robust conductive system that could be used at the interface with electroresponsive tissue to better understand the interaction and effect of these materials on the electrophysiology of these tissues.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 28138526 · DOI · PMC5262463
Signal beyond nutrient, fructose, exuded by an arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus triggers phytate mineralization by a phosphate solubilizing bacterium [3]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Cooperation is a prevalent phenomenon in nature and how it originates and maintains is a fundamental question in ecology.
- Closing excerpt
- These results highlighted the molecular mechanisms by which the hyphal exudates play a role in maintaining the cooperation between AMF and bacteria.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (196 words)
Cooperation is a prevalent phenomenon in nature and how it originates and maintains is a fundamental question in ecology. Many efforts have been made to understand cooperation between individuals in the same species, while the mechanisms enabling cooperation between different species are less understood. Here, we investigated under strict in vitro culture conditions if the exchange of carbon and phosphorus is pivotal to the cooperation between the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus (AMF) Rhizophagus irregularis and the phosphate solubilizing bacterium (PSB) Rahnella aquatilis. We observed that fructose exuded by the AMF stimulated the expression of phosphatase genes in the bacterium as well as the rate of phosphatase release into the growth medium by regulating its protein secretory system. The phosphatase activity was subsequently increased, promoting the mineralization of organic phosphorus (i.e., phytate) into inorganic phosphorus, stimulating simultaneously the processes involved in phosphorus uptake by the AMF. Our results demonstrated for the first time that fructose not only is a carbon source, but also plays a role as a signal molecule triggering bacteria-mediated organic phosphorus mineralization processes. These results highlighted the molecular mechanisms by which the hyphal exudates play a role in maintaining the cooperation between AMF and bacteria.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 29899507 · DOI · PMC6155042
Protein pyrophosphorylation by inositol pyrophosphates - detection, function, and regulation [4]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Protein pyrophosphorylation is an emerging, unusual posttranslational modification.
- Closing excerpt
- Finally, the future needs for this developing area of signal transduction research are highlighted.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (111 words)
Protein pyrophosphorylation is an emerging, unusual posttranslational modification. This signaling mechanism can be driven by inositol pyrophosphate messengers, which can convert a prephosphorylated protein to the corresponding pyrophosphoprotein. Endogenous protein pyrophosphorylation influences various cellular processes and signaling pathways, including the regulation of rRNA synthesis and the modulation of vesicular trafficking. Herein, we will summarize the current detection and analysis methods that have established the occurrence of pyrophosphorylation. These methods have also been used to explore the effects of pyrophosphorylation on protein structure and function. Putative mechanisms for the regulation of this intriguing, understudied modification will be discussed. Finally, the future needs for this developing area of signal transduction research are highlighted.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 41329512 · DOI · PMC13573051
Key reviews and meta-analyses
The most cited review-type papers among PubMed’s best-match results for this heading, listed with bibliographic details only. Follow the links for the full text and access terms.
- Research article Inositol trisphosphate and calcium signalling [5]
- Research article Inositol trisphosphate, a novel second messenger in cellular signal transduction [6]
- Research article Inositol phosphates and cell signalling [7]
- Research article Inositol trisphosphate and diacylglycerol: two interacting second messengers [8]
- Research article 'Quantal' Ca2+ release and the control of Ca2+ entry by inositol phosphates--a possible mechanism [9]
- Research article 2-aminoethoxydiphenyl borate (2-APB) is a reliable blocker of store-operated Ca2+ entry but an inconsistent inhibitor of InsP3-induced Ca2+ release [10]
References
- Ried MK, Wild R, Zhu J, Pipercevic J, Sturm K, Broger L, et al.. Inositol pyrophosphates promote the interaction of SPX domains with the coiled-coil motif of PHR transcription factors to regulate plant phosphate homeostasis. . 2021. PMID 33452263 · DOI · PMC7810988
- Mawad D, Mansfield C, Lauto A, Perbellini F, Nelson GW, Tonkin J, et al.. A conducting polymer with enhanced electronic stability applied in cardiac models. . 2016. PMID 28138526 · DOI · PMC5262463
- Zhang L, Feng G, Declerck S. Signal beyond nutrient, fructose, exuded by an arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus triggers phytate mineralization by a phosphate solubilizing bacterium. . 2018. PMID 29899507 · DOI · PMC6155042
- Lampe S, Mohanty TK, Bhandari R, Fiedler D. Protein pyrophosphorylation by inositol pyrophosphates - detection, function, and regulation. . 2026. PMID 41329512 · DOI · PMC13573051
- Berridge MJ. Inositol trisphosphate and calcium signalling. Nature. 1993. PMID 8381210 · DOI
- Berridge MJ, Irvine RF. Inositol trisphosphate, a novel second messenger in cellular signal transduction. Nature. 1984. PMID 6095092 · DOI
- Berridge MJ, Irvine RF. Inositol phosphates and cell signalling. Nature. 1989. PMID 2550825 · DOI
- Berridge MJ. Inositol trisphosphate and diacylglycerol: two interacting second messengers. Annu Rev Biochem. 1987. PMID 3304132 · DOI
- Irvine RF. 'Quantal' Ca2+ release and the control of Ca2+ entry by inositol phosphates--a possible mechanism. FEBS Lett. 1990. PMID 2185036 · DOI
- Bootman MD, Collins TJ, Mackenzie L, Roderick HL, Berridge MJ, Peppiatt CM. 2-aminoethoxydiphenyl borate (2-APB) is a reliable blocker of store-operated Ca2+ entry but an inconsistent inhibitor of InsP3-induced Ca2+ release. FASEB J. 2002. PMID 12153982 · DOI
About this article
- Sources
- NLM Medical Subject Headings (definition, synonyms); NCBI PubMed (counts, identifiers); Europe PMC (open-access abstracts and citation counts).
- Verification
- Every reference was resolved against PubMed on 2026-10-31; title, year and DOI matched.
- Review state
- automated source verified; no human expert review has been recorded yet.
- Version
- 1, last updated 2026-10-31.
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Evidence strength
EvidenceHelix's computed view of the study designs behind this topic: how common meta-analyses, randomized trials and reviews are, how recent the literature is, and a plain-language reading. It describes the design mix of the literature. It is not a quality appraisal of any study, and it is not medical advice.