title: Real-time imaging nuclear translocation of Akt1 in HCC cells.
abstract: Akt is one of the critical mediators in cellular signaling, and overactivation of Akt related pathway frequently occurs in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In this study, we presented that Akt was upregulated in HCC cell lines, and its active phosphorylated form was mainly located in the nucleus. Employing the laser confocal techniques for imaging intracellular protein dynamics, we monitored the transnuclear movement of GFP-tagged wild-type Akt1 (Akt1-WT-GFP) and its inactive mutant (Akt1-T308A/S473A-GFP) in live SMMC-7721 HCC cells, and both of fusion proteins were found to distribute over the cytoplasm and nucleus. Moreover, it was found that platelet derived growth factor (PDGF) was able to accelerate the nuclear translocation of wild-type Akt1 in HCC cells but failed to speed up the motion of the mutant. It was demonstrated that activation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) and Akt1 facilitated the nuclear translocation of Akt1, but the phosphorylation at threonine 308 and serine 473 was not prerequisite.
authors.affiliation: Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, and Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Hangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Chen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Jinjun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Peng
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Xue
authors.forename: Xianghuo
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: Chao
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ge
authors.forename: Wenxin
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Qin
authors.forename: Genfu
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Yao
authors.forename: Jianren
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gu
mesh_terms: D021581:Active Transport, Cell Nucleus; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D003199:Computer Systems; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal / Q000379:methods*; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence / Q000379:methods; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: C494918:AKT1 protein, human; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt