Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UNIPROT:P31749 (AKT)
 22,954 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Protein kinase B/Akt has been described as a central mediator of anti-apoptotic signals transduced by the PI3 kinase. Although the role of Akt in the suppression of apoptosis is well elucidated, a potential function of Akt in tumorigenesis and chemoresistance is less intensively documented. In this study, we describe the construction of a novel form of constitutively active Akt1, which relies on the deletion of its pleckstrin homology domain and the insertion of a C-terminal farnesylation sequence. Stable cell lines were generated with MCF10A mammary epithelial cells and A549 human NSCLC cells expressing constitutively active Akt1. Enigneered MCF10A cells were rendered resistant towards apoptosis resulting from loss of cellular substrate attachment (anoikis). We investigated the chemosensitivity of A549 cells expressing farnesylated Akt vs control cells. A profoundly decreased sensitivity towards Mitoxantrone and cisplatin was observed in cells expressing farnesylated Akt. No significant difference in sensitivity however was observed upon treatment with cell cycle specific chemotherapeutic agents like paclitaxel. Our data suggest, that Akt is a central mediator in the suppression of anoikis and modulation of chemotherapy-induced apoptosis. Therefore it represents a promising target for small molecule inhibitors to shift the apoptotic threshold in cancer cells after treatment with standard chemotherapy.
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PMID:A novel form of constitutively active farnesylated Akt1 prevents mammary epithelial cells from anoikis and suppresses chemotherapy-induced apoptosis. 1237 10

Bile acids are cytoprotective in hepatocytes by activating phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3-K) and its downstream signal AKT. Our aim was to determine whether feeding taurocholate to CCl(4)-treated rats reduces cholangiocyte apoptosis and whether this cytoprotective effect is dependent on PI3-K. Cholangiocyte proliferation, secretion, and apoptosis were determined in cholangiocytes from bile duct ligation (BDL), CCl(4)-treated BDL rats, and CCl(4)-treated taurocholate-fed rats. In vitro, we tested whether CCl(4) induces apoptosis and whether loss of cholangiocyte proliferation and secretion is dependent on PI3-K. The CCl(4)-induced cholangiocyte apoptosis and loss of cholangiocyte proliferation and secretion were reduced in CCl(4)-treated rats fed taurocholate. CCl(4)-induced cholangiocyte apoptosis, loss of cholangiocytes secretion, and proliferation were prevented by preincubation with taurocholate. Taurocholate cytoprotective effects were ablated by wortmannin. Taurocholate prevented, in vitro, CCl(4)-induced decrease of phosphorylated AKT protein expression in cholangiocytes. The cytoprotective effects of taurocholate on CCl(4) effects on cholangiocyte proliferation and secretion were abolished by wortmannin. Taurocholate protects cholangiocytes from CCl(4)-induced apoptosis by a PI3-K-dependent mechanism. Bile acids are important in the prevention of drug-induced ductopenia in cholangiopathies.
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PMID:Taurocholate feeding prevents CCl4-induced damage of large cholangiocytes through PI3-kinase-dependent mechanism. 1238 82

Recently, it has been demonstrated that macrophage inflammatory protein 1- alpha (MIP-1 alpha) is crucially involved in the development of osteolytic bone lesions in multiple myeloma (MM). The current study was designed to determine the direct effects of MIP-1 alpha on MM cells. Thus, we were able to demonstrate that MIP-1 alpha acts as a potent growth, survival, and chemotactic factor in MM cells. MIP-1 alpha-induced signaling involved activation of the AKT/protein kinase B (PKB) and the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway. In addition, inhibition of AKT activation by phosphatidylinositol 3- kinase (PI3-K) inhibitors did not influence MAPK activation, suggesting that there is no cross talk between MIP-1 alpha-dependent activation of the PI3-K/AKT and extracellular-regulated kinase (ERK) pathway. Our data suggest that besides its role in development of osteolytic bone destruction, MIP-1 alpha also directly affects cell signaling pathways mediating growth, survival, and migration in MM cells and provide evidence that MIP-1 alpha might play a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of MM.
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PMID:Macrophage inflammatory protein 1-alpha (MIP-1 alpha ) triggers migration and signaling cascades mediating survival and proliferation in multiple myeloma (MM) cells. 1250 12

Hepatoma cells are known to be highly resistant to chemotherapy. Previously, we have found differential Taxol resistance in human and murine hepatoma cells. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of a multidrug resistance inhibitor, cyclosporin A in combination with Taxol on hepatoma in vitro and in vivo, and to identify the possible mechanism involved in Taxol resistance. Simultaneous treatment of cyclosporin A (0-10 microM) and Taxol (0.1 microM) inhibited cell growth in vitro. Cyclosporin A interfered with Taxol (0.1 microM)-induced AKT activation and BAD phosphorylation. Cyclosporin A combined with Taxol treatment augments caspase-9, -3 activation and loss of mitochondrial membrane potential in HepG2 cells. PI3 kinase inhibitor, wortmannin, or a dominant-negative AKT1 expression vector treatment partially enhanced Taxol-induced apoptosis indicating that PI3 kinase-AKT pathway was involved in Taxol-resistance pathway. Moreover, combination treatment reduced tumour growth in SCID and C57BL/6 mice as compared to either Taxol or cyclosporin A treatment. Our results indicate that the combination of cyclosporin A and Taxol is effective in the reversal of Taxol resistance through the inhibition of PI3 kinase-AKT1 pathway.
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PMID:Reversal of Taxol resistance in hepatoma by cyclosporin A: involvement of the PI-3 kinase-AKT 1 pathway. 1264 39

A distinct subpopulation of rat dorsal root sensory (DRG) neurons, termed P-neurons, switch their trophic requirements for survival during development from nerve growth factor (NGF) at embryonic stages to basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) just after birth. We investigated in cultured P-neurons the intracellular signaling pathways mediating survival before and after this switch. The NGF-induced survival was completely blocked by either wortmannin (100 nM) or PD98059 (25-50 nM), which selectively inhibit the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-AKT (PI3 kinase-AKT) and mitogen-activated kinase kinase extracellular regulated kinase (MEK-ERKs) pathways, respectively. NGF activated AKT and ERKs in single embryonic P-neurons, as assayed by immunofluorescence of phosphorylated proteins. In concordance with the survival assays, wortmannin and PD98059 blocked AKT and ERKs activation, respectively. Following the trophic switch, bFGF used the same signaling pathways to promote survival of post-natal P-neurons, as either wortmannin or PD98059 blocked its effect. Also, bFGF activated AKT and ERKs in single P-neurons, and this activation was blocked by the same inhibitors. These results strongly suggest that both pathways concurrently mediate the action of NGF and bFGF during embryonic and post-natal periods, respectively. Thus, we report the novel result that the switch in trophic requirements occurs with conservation of the signaling pathways mediating survival.
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PMID:The same cellular signaling pathways mediate survival in sensory neurons that switch their trophic requirements during development. 1275 92

Germline mutations of the RET proto-oncogene cause multiple endocrine neoplasia (MEN) 2A or 2B by different mechanisms. As is the case for other receptor tyrosine kinases, mutant RET recruits a variety of signalling molecules via phosphorylated tyrosine residues present in the kinase domain and carboxy-terminal tail. As we previously reported, the signaling via phosphorylated tyrosine 1062 plays a crucial role in the transforming activities of both RET-MEN2A and RET-MEN2B mutant protein. Interestingly, this single tyrosine residue represents a binding site for several signalling molecules including SHC, Enigma, SNT/FRS2, DOK and IRS1 and is responsible for activation of the RAS/ERK, PI3-K/AKT, JNK, p38MAPK and ERK5 signalling pathways. Amongst these, the PI3-K/AKT and JNK pathways appeared to be more strongly activated in the cells expressing RET-MEN2B than in the cells expressing RET-MEN2A, suggesting the possibility that these pathways may be involved in the disease phenotype. In addition, RET is alternatively spliced to produce three isoforms and the splicing site is present just downstream of tyrosine 1062. These isoforms play different roles for the tumour development associated with MEN 2 or the development of the kidney and the enteric nervous system. Moreover, using differential display analysis, we identified several genes whose expression is highly induced by RET-MEN2B mutant proteins. The differential gene expression by RET-MEN2A and RET-MEN2B may also be important for the development of their phenotypes.
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PMID:Cell signalling and gene expression mediated by RET tyrosine kinase. 1275 58

BACKGROUND: Malignant rhabdoid tumors (MRTs) are extremely aggressive and resist current radio- and chemotherapic treatments. To gain insight into the dysfunctions of MRT cells, the apoptotic response of a model cell line, MON, was analyzed after exposure to several genotoxic and non-genotoxic agents employed separately or in association. RESULTS: Fluorescence microscopy of chromatin morphology and electrophoretic analysis of internucleosomal DNA fragmentation revealed that MON cells were, comparatively to HeLa cells, resistant to apoptosis after treatment with etoposide, cisplatin (CisPt) or X-rays, but underwent some degree of apoptosis after ultraviolet (UV) C irradiation. Concomitant treatment of MON cells with X-rays or vinblastine and the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3-K) inhibitor wortmannin resulted in synergistic induction of apoptosis. Western blot analysis showed that the p53 protein was upregulated in MON cells after exposure to all the different agents tested, singly or in combination. In treated cells, the p53 downstream effectors p21WAF1/CIP1, Mdm2 and Bax were induced with some inconsistency with regard to the accumulation of p53. Poly ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP) cleavage, indicative of ongoing apoptosis, occurred in UVC-irradiated cells and, especially, in cells treated with combinations of X-rays or vinblastine with wortmannin. However, there was moderate or no PARP cleavage in cells treated with CisPt, X-rays, vinblastine or wortmannin singly or with the combinations X-rays plus CisPt or vinblastine and CisPt plus vinblastine or wortmannin. The synergistic effect on the induction of apoptosis exerted by some agent combinations corresponded with synergy in respect of MON cell growth inhibition. CONCLUSION: These results suggest abnormalities in the p53 pathway and apoptosis control in MRT cells. The Ras/PI3-K/AKT signaling pathway might also be deregulated in these cells by generating an excess of survival factors. These dysfunctions might contribute to the resistance of MRTs to current antineoplastic treatments and could warrant consideration in the search of new therapeutic approaches.
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PMID:Apoptotic response of malignant rhabdoid tumor cells. 1290 67

PTEN tumor suppressor serves as a major negative regulator of survival signaling mediated by PI3 kinase/AKT/protein kinase B pathway, and is inactivated in various human tumors. Elucidation of mechanisms responsible for PTEN expression is important for providing insight into strategies to control the loss of PTEN expression in human cancers. Although recent studies suggested that p53 and Egr-1 can modulate induced PTEN expression, the mechanism responsible for ubiquitous constitutive expression of PTEN remains elusive. PTEN mRNA contains a highly conserved and GC-rich 5'-untranslated region (5'-UTR). Recently, it has been shown that the long 5'-UTR sequences of several growth-regulated mRNAs contain promoters that can generate mRNAs with shorter 5'-UTRs. In this paper, we tested whether the 5'-UTR sequence of mouse PTEN contains a promoter that is responsible for constitutive expression of PTEN. We found that the long 5'-UTR sequence of mouse PTEN severely inhibits translation of PTEN and a heterologous gene firefly luciferase. Deletion of the most 5'-UTR sequence would enhance translation efficiency 100-fold. We also showed that the 5'-UTR sequence of mouse PTEN does not have an internal ribosome entry site (IRES) that can mediate cap-independent initiation of translation. Instead, we found that the 5'-UTR sequence of mouse PTEN contains a strong promoter that drives the production of a transcript with shorter 5'-UTRs, which can be translated with higher efficiency. This promoter was mapped to the region between -551 and -220 bases upstream of the translation start codon. Cotransfection analysis using Drosophila SL2 cells showed that Sp1 is one of the major transcription factors that can constitutively activate this promoter. Two endogenous PTEN transcripts with 5'-UTRs of 193 and 109 bases were found in DU145 and H226 cell lines. Based on these observations, we conclude that the PTEN expression may be regulated at both transcriptional and translational levels, and that the 5'-UTR sequence of PTEN contains a promoter that is responsible for constitutive PTEN expression.
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PMID:Regulation of constitutive expression of mouse PTEN by the 5'-untranslated region. 1291 34

Insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-I) is a growth and survival factor in human multiple myeloma (MM) cells. Here we examine the effect of IGF-I on MM cell adhesion and migration, and define the role of beta1 integrin in these processes. IGF-I increases adhesion of MM.1S and OPM6 MM cells to fibronectin (FN) in a time- and dose-dependent manner, as a consequence of IGF-IR activation. Conversely, blocking anti-beta1 integrin monoclonal antibody, RGD peptide, and cytochalasin D inhibit IGF-I-induced cell adhesion to FN. IGF-I rapidly and transiently induces association of IGF-IR and beta1 integrin, with phosphorylation of IGF-IR, IRS-1, and p85(PI3-K). IGF-I also triggers phosphorylation of AKT and ERK significantly. Both IGF-IR and beta1 integrin colocalize to lipid rafts on the plasma membrane after IGF-I stimulation. In addition, IGF-I triggers polymerization of F-actin, induces phosphorylation of p125(FAK) and paxillin, and enhances beta1 integrin interaction with these focal adhesion proteins. Importantly, using pharmacological inhibitors of phosphatidylinositol 3'-kinase (PI3-K) (LY294002 and wortmannin) and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (PD98059), we demonstrate that IGF-I-induced MM cell adhesion to FN is achieved only when PI3-K/AKT is activated. IGF-I induces a 1.7-2.2 (MM.1S) and 2-2.5-fold (OPM6) increase in migration, whereas blocking anti-IGF-I and anti-beta1 integrin monoclonal antibodies, PI3-K inhibitors, as well as cytochalasin D abrogate IGF-I-induced MM cell transmigration. Finally, IGF-I induces adhesion of CD138+ patient MM cells. Therefore, these studies suggest a role for IGF-I in trafficking and localization of MM cells in the bone marrow microenvironment. Moreover, they define the functional association of IGF-IR and beta1 integrin in mediating MM cell homing, providing the preclinical rationale for novel treatment strategies targeting IGF-I/IGF-IR in MM.
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PMID:Insulin-like growth factor-1 induces adhesion and migration in human multiple myeloma cells via activation of beta1-integrin and phosphatidylinositol 3'-kinase/AKT signaling. 1452 9

The work of Al Knudson created the paradigm in which we see cancer as a result of the accumulation of multiple mutations. Our goal has been to exploit these mutations to develop strategies to enhance therapy for cancer by targeting the malignant cell while sparing the normal tissue. In studying the RAS oncogene, we observed that its expression when activated resulted in enhanced radioresistance. Conversely, inhibition of RAS made cells with activated RAS more radiosensitive. Hence, we postulated that it would be possible to sensitize tumors with RAS mutations to radiation without affecting the sensitivity of the normal tissue in patients with such tumors. This proved to be the case in animal models and has led to current clinical trials. These studies raised the question of identifying the downstream effectors of RAS that are responsible for altering the radiosensitivity of cells. We have found that phosphoinositide-3-kinase (PI3 kinase) is a critical component of this pathway. Blocking PI3 kinase enhanced the radiation response in vitro or in vivo of cells actively signaling through that pathway, but did not affect cells not actively signaling through PI3 kinase at the time of irradiation. Identification of tumors with active signaling in this pathway by immunohistochemical staining for phosphorylated AKT, the downstream target of PI3 kinase correlated with those patients for which radiation failed to achieve local control. Thus, characterization of the active signaling pathways in a given tumor might enable the selection of patients likely to respond to radiation. Pathways upstream from RAS may also be useful targets to consider for enhancing radiation therapy. Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), which is upstream of PI3 kinase, may also mediate resistance through a common pathway. In addition to EGFR and RAS, PTEN can also regulate the PI3 kinase pathway. Identifying a common signal for EGFR, RAS, and PTEN that results in radiation resistance may uncover targets for developing molecular-based radiosensitization protocols for tumors resistant to radiation and thus lead to improvement of local control.
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PMID:Targeting tumor cells by enhancing radiation sensitivity. 1456 53


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