title: G protein-coupled receptor-induced Akt activity in cellular proliferation and apoptosis.
abstract: Akt (also known as protein kinase B) plays an integral role in many intracellular signaling pathways activated by a diverse array of extracellular signals that target several different classes of membrane-bound receptors. Akt plays a particularly prominent part in signaling networks that result in the modulation of cellular proliferation, apoptosis and survival. Thus, the overexpression of Akt subtypes has been measured in a number of cancer types, and dominant-negative forms of Akt can trigger apoptosis and reduce the survival of cancer cells. G protein-coupled receptors act as cell-surface detectors for a diverse spectrum of biological signals and are able to activate or inhibit Akt via several direct and indirect means. In this review, we shall document how G protein-coupled receptors are able to control Akt activity and examine the resulting biochemical and physiological changes, with particular emphasis on cellular proliferation, apoptosis and survival.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Neuroscience Center, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China.
authors.forename: David C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: New
authors.forename: Kelvin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Alice W S
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Kwok
authors.forename: Yung H
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Wong
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D006801:Humans; D008954:Models, Biological; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D043562:Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled / Q000502:physiology*; D015398:Signal Transduction
chemical_list: D043562:Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt