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Multiple inositol polyphosphate phosphatase (MINPP1) is an enigmatic enzyme that is responsible for the metabolism of inositol hexakisphosphate (InsP6) and inositol 1,3,4,5,6 pentakisphosphate (Ins(1,3,4,5,6)P5 in mammalian cells, despite being restricted to the confines of the ER. The reason for this compartmentalization is unclear. In our previous studies in the insulin-secreting HIT cell line, we expressed MINPP1 in the cytosol to artificially reduce the concentration of these higher inositol phosphates. Undocumented at the time, we noted cytosolic MINPP1 expression reduced cell growth. We were struck by the similarities in substrate preference between a number of different enzymes that are able to metabolize both inositol phosphates and lipids, notably IPMK and PTEN. MINPP1 was first characterized as a phosphatase that could remove the 3-phosphate from inositol 1,3,4,5-tetrakisphosphate (Ins(1,3,4,5)P4). This molecule shares strong structural homology with the major product of the growth-promoting Phosphatidyl 3-kinase (PI3K), phosphatidylinositol 3,4,5-trisphosphate (PtdIns(3,4,5)P3) and PTEN can degrade both this lipid and Ins(1,3,4,5)P4. Because of this similar substrate preference, we postulated that the cytosolic version of MINPP1 (cyt-MINPP1) may not only attack inositol polyphosphates but also PtdIns(3,4,5)P3, a key signal in mitogenesis. Our experiments show that expression of cyt-MINPP1 in HIT cells lowers the concentration of PtdIns(3,4,5)P3. We conclude this reflects a direct effect of MINPP1 upon the lipid because cyt-MINPP1 actively dephosphorylates synthetic, di(C4:0)PtdIns(3,4,5)P3 in vitro. These data illustrate the importance of MINPP1′s confinement to the ER whereby important aspects of inositol phosphate metabolism and inositol lipid signaling can be separately regulated and give one important clarification for MINPP1′s ER seclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]