title: Where PI3K/Akt meets Smads: the crosstalk determines human embryonic stem cell fate.
abstract: Coordinated interactions between signaling networks govern the balance of cell fate decisions in human embryonic stem cells. In this issue, Singh et al. (2012) report that PI3K/Akt signaling switches Activin/Smad activity between pro-self-renewal and prodifferentiation by regulating ERK and GSK3β/β-catenin signaling.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Biomembrane and Membrane Biotechnology, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China. ygchen@tsinghua.edu.cn
authors.forename: Ye-Guang
authors.initials: YG
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Zhongwei
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Xiao-Fan
authors.initials: XF
authors.lastname: Wang