The pancreatic beta cell as a paradigm for advances in inositide research

In a previous review for Advances in Enzyme Research (Berggren and Barker, 2008) we outlined the history of our involvement in discovering important roles for inositides in the insulin secreting pancreatic beta cell. In this current appraisal we bring the work up to date and project how we believe this field will continue to develop in the future. Recently, we have seen an important synergism between the growth in our understanding of inositide function and our knowledge of beta cell stimulus-secretion coupling in both physiological and pathophysiological contexts. Important advances have been made in three areas. 1. The classic regulation of cytoplasmic free Ca²⁺ concentration [Ca²⁺]_i by Inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (Ins(1,4,5)P₃) and its receptor, 2. A novel role of the inositol pyrophosphates, especially 5-diphosphoinositol pentakisphosphate (5-PP-InsP₅), in exocytosis, and 3. The unique signaling roles of PI3K pathways instituted by the engagement of the insulin receptor in an autocrine, positive feed-back loop. We examine each of these in turn and close with an assessment of the likely future directions the research will take.