inositol triphosphate

Inositol triphosphate (also commonly known as inositol trisphosphate or triphosphoinositol; abbreviated InsP₃ or IP₃), together with diacylglycerol, is a second messenger molecule used in signal transduction in biological cells. It is made by hydrolysis of phosphatidylinositol, a phospholipid that is located in the plasma membrane, by phospholipase C. Its main functions are to mobilize Ca²⁺ from storage organelles and to regulate cell proliferation and other cellular reactions. For example, in the fruit fly Drosophila, InsP₃ is used for intracellular transduction of light recognition in eye cells.

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