Recent studies have implicated inositol phosphates, a highly charged family of lipid-derived metabolites, in a slue of cellular processes. However, it is their involvement in nuclear events that has attracted much attention. Several IP molecules have been linked to gene regulatory factors, chromatin-remodeling complexes, mRNA export, and DNA repair machinery, yet in many instances direct mechanistic roles remain elusive. The purpose of this review is to cover the latest data gathered regarding only the nuclear roles of the various inositol phosphates while simultaneously providing a step-by-step tour of IP synthesis in eukaryotes.
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