title: The PI 3-kinase/Akt signaling pathway delivers an anti-apoptotic signal.
abstract: Serum and certain growth factors have the ability to inhibit programmed cell death (apoptosis) and promote survival. The mechanism by which growth factors deliver an anti-apoptotic signal and the mechanism by which this survival signal is uncoupled from mitogenesis are not clear. We studied five downstream effectors of growth factor receptors--Ras, Raf, Src, phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI 3-kinase), and Akt (PKB)--for their abilities to block apoptosis. Activated forms of Ras, Raf, and Src, although transforming, were not sufficient to deliver a survival signal upon serum withdrawal. In contrast, inhibition of PI 3-kinase accelerated apoptosis, and an activated form of the serine/threonine kinase Akt, a downstream effector of PI 3-kinase, blocked apoptosis. The ability of Akt to promote survival was dependent on and proportional to its kinase activity. In Rat1a fibroblasts, activated Akt did not alter Bcl-2 or Bcl-X(L) expression but inhibited Ced3/ICE-like activity. Thus, the PI 3-kinase/Akt (PKB) signaling pathway transduces a survival signal that ultimately blocks Ced3/ICE-like activity. These results suggest that uncoupling of survival and mitogenesis can be explained by differing abilities of distinct mitogens to efficiently induce the PI 3-kinase/Akt signaling pathway.
authors.affiliation: The Ben May Institute for Cancer Research and Department of Pharmacological and Physiological Sciences, The University of Chicago, Illinois 60637, USA.
authors.forename: S G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Kennedy
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Wagner
authors.forename: S D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Conzen
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jordán
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bellacosa
authors.forename: P N
authors.initials: PN
authors.lastname: Tsichlis
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hay
mesh_terms: D000730:Androstadienes / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000502:physiology*; D002460:Cell Line; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000502:physiology; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D015688:Oncogene Protein pp60(v-src) / Q000378:metabolism; D019869:Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases; D017853:Phosphotransferases (Alcohol Group Acceptor) / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism*; D000071137:Poly (ADP-Ribose) Polymerase-1; D011065:Poly(ADP-ribose) Polymerases / Q000378:metabolism; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D011506:Proteins; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000378:metabolism; D019908:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-raf; D051381:Rats; D017978:Receptors, Growth Factor / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction; D000077191:Wortmannin; D051020:bcl-X Protein; D018631:ras Proteins / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000730:Androstadienes; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D015688:Oncogene Protein pp60(v-src); D019869:Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases; D017853:Phosphotransferases (Alcohol Group Acceptor); D000071137:Poly (ADP-Ribose) Polymerase-1; D011065:Poly(ADP-ribose) Polymerases; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D011506:Proteins; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D019908:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-raf; D017978:Receptors, Growth Factor; D000077191:Wortmannin; D051020:bcl-X Protein; D018631:ras Proteins; C494813:Bcl2l1 protein, rat; C499322:Parp1 protein, rat; C494920:Akt1 protein, rat