title: Mechanism of activation of protein kinase B by insulin and IGF-1.
abstract: Insulin activated endogenous protein kinase B alpha (also known as RAC/Akt kinase) activity 12-fold in L6 myotubes, while after transfection into 293 cells PKBalpha was activated 20- and 50-fold in response to insulin and IGF-1 respectively. In both cells, the activation of PKBalpha was accompanied by its phosphorylation at Thr308 and Ser473 and, like activation, phosphorylation of both of these residues was prevented by the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase inhibitor wortmannin. Thr308 and/or Ser473 were mutated to Ala or Asp and activities of mutant PKBalpha molecules were analysed after transfection into 293 cells. The activity of wild-type and mutant PKBalpha was also measured in vitro after stoichiometric phosphorylation of Ser473 by MAPKAP kinase-2. These experiments demonstrated that activation of PKBalpha by insulin or insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) results from phosphorylation of both Thr308 and Ser473, that phosphorylation of both residues is critical to generate a high level of PKBalpha activity and that the phosphorylation of Thr308 in vivo is not dependent on phosphorylation of Ser473 or vice versa. We propose a model whereby PKBalpha becomes phosphorylated and activated in insulin/IGF-1-stimulated cells by an upstream kinase(s).
authors.affiliation: MRC Protein Phosphorylation Unit, Department of Biochemistry, University of Dundee, UK.
authors.forename: D R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Alessi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Andjelkovic
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Caudwell
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Cron
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Morrice
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Cohen
authors.forename: B A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Hemmings
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D002460:Cell Line; D004789:Enzyme Activation; D006801:Humans; D007328:Insulin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007700:Kinetics; D007739:L Cells; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010766:Phosphorylation; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000187:drug effects / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000187:drug effects / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism; D012694:Serine; D013912:Threonine; D014162:Transfection
chemical_list: D007328:Insulin; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D013912:Threonine; D012694:Serine; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I; C494918:AKT1 protein, human; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt