title: Forkhead transcription factors: new insights into protein kinase B (c-akt) signaling.
abstract: The proto-oncogene protein kinase B (PKB), also known as c-Akt, is a central player in a signaling pathway of which many components have been linked to tumorigenesis. Active forms of PKB as well as of its upstream activator phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) have been found to be responsible for the transforming activities of certain viruses, and the negative regulator of this pathway, PTEN, is a tumor suppressor. The identification of particular downstream targets of PKB has provided us with new insights into the possible mechanism of PI3K/PKB-mediated tumorigenicity. Recently a subfamily of Forkhead transcription factors was identified as additional targets for PI3K/PKB signaling. This review discusses the studies that have led to this conclusion and the possible implications of this finding for our understanding of how PI3K/PKB activity could lead to oncogenesis.
authors.affiliation: Center for Biomedical Genetics, University of Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: G J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Kops
authors.forename: B M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Burgering
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors; D016147:Genes, Tumor Suppressor; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D011505:Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / Q000502:physiology*; D000090063:Proto-Oncogene Mas; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt; D015398:Signal Transduction; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
chemical_list: D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors; C000715470:MAS1 protein, human; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D000090063:Proto-Oncogene Mas; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; D011505:Protein-Tyrosine Kinases; C494918:AKT1 protein, human; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt