title: The activation of Akt/PKB signaling pathway and cell survival.
abstract: Akt/PKB is a serine/threonine protein kinase that functions as a critical regulator of cell survival and proliferation. Akt/PKB family comprises three highly homologous members known as PKBalpha/Akt1, PKBbeta/Akt2 and PKBgamma/Akt3 in mammalian cells. Similar to many other protein kinases, Akt/PKB contains a conserved domain structure including a specific PH domain, a central kinase domain and a carboxyl-terminal regulatory domain that mediates the interaction between signaling molecules. Akt/PKB plays important roles in the signaling pathways in response to growth factors and other extracellular stimuli to regulate several cellular functions including nutrient metabolism, cell growth, apoptosis and survival. This review surveys recent developments in understanding the molecular mechanisms of Akt/PKB activation and its roles in cell survival in normal and cancer cells.
authors.affiliation: The Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for Cell Biology and Tumor Cell Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China.
authors.forename: Gang
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: Gaoliang
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ouyang
authors.forename: Shideng
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bao
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002470:Cell Survival; D004789:Enzyme Activation; D006801:Humans; D008954:Models, Biological; D019869:Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D010766:Phosphorylation; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt; D015398:Signal Transduction
chemical_list: D019869:Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt; C494918:AKT1 protein, human; C494921:AKT2 protein, human