PIKfyve is named after its function and domain structure — phosphoinositide kinase for five position containing a FYVE finger — and was first identified over two decades ago as a lipid kinase that phosphorylates phosphatidylinositol-3-phosphate (PI(3)P), producing PI(3,5)P2. PIKfyve plays a critical role in the endosomal and lysosomal system, regulating membrane homeostasis, endosomal trafficking and autophagy, and is emerging as a target for cancer, viral infections and neurodegenerative diseases.
