title: Transduction of interleukin-2 antiapoptotic and proliferative signals via Akt protein kinase.
abstract: The interleukin-2 (IL-2) receptor (IL-2R) is composed of three subunits. Of these, IL-2Ra is required for high-affinity IL-2 binding, while IL-2R beta and IL-2R gamma(c) are required for the transduction of IL-2-generated signals. Signals transduced via the S region of the IL-2R beta (amino acids 267-322) in BAF/3 cells activate the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3-kinase) and induce the expression of Bcl-2 and c-myc. Through the induction of Bcl-2, IL-2 inhibits apoptosis and through the combination of Bcl-2 and c-myc it stimulates progression through the cell cycle. Here we show that the protein kinase encoded by the Akt proto-oncogene is activated by IL-2. Akt activation by IL-2 depends on PI3-kinase signals transduced via the S region of the IL-2R beta and is linked to the translocation of Akt to the cell membrane. Expression of catalytically active Akt mutants in BAF/3 cells expressing IL-2R beta[A0]delta S promotes the expression of Bcl-2 and c-myc, inhibits apoptosis induced by IL-3 deprivation or staurosporine, and stimulates cell cycle progression. The same mutants also stimulate cell cycle progression in 2780a, an IL-2-dependent T cell line that undergoes G1 arrest rather than apoptosis after IL-2 deprivation. The activation of Akt by IL-2 via the PI3-kinase and the rescue of the PI3-kinase-mediated antiapoptotic and proliferative IL-2 signals by catalytically active Akt indicate that these signals are transduced by Akt.
authors.affiliation: Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, PA 19111, USA.
authors.forename: N N
authors.initials: NN
authors.lastname: Ahmed
authors.forename: H L
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Grimes
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bellacosa
authors.forename: T O
authors.initials: TO
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.forename: P N
authors.initials: PN
authors.lastname: Tsichlis
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D002455:Cell Division; D002460:Cell Line; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt; D051381:Rats; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D007376:Interleukin-2; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; C494920:Akt1 protein, rat; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt