Conversely, when Akt is not bound to PIP3, it remains inactive”.
Downstream to these ERK type MAP kinase and Akt are activated.
Understanding Akt's regulatory mechanisms is therefore essential for developing
and improving cancer therapies.
When“floating” freely inside the cell, Akt is inactivated and unable to phosphorylate any targets.
Changes leading to the hyperactivation of the protein kinase Akt are observed in almost 50% of all human tumors.
As a next step,
the researchers intend to dig deeper and answer more questions about Akt's activation on an atomic level.
Once activated, Akt in turn activates its targets inside the cell via the addition of a
phosphate- a process called phosphorylation.
In our study, we have discovered that Akt is only active while bound to a small
molecule on cell membranes called PIP3.
Additionally, they will address the
question of how this newly discovered activation mechanism allows Akt to select its specific targets inside a cell.
Such unrestricted activity of Akt uncouples survival,
growth and division of cells from growth factor signals, which can ultimately result in tumor formation”.
Strikingly, both mechanisms are compromised by a cancer mutation,
which puts Akt into overdrive and makes it active throughout the cell independent of PIP3.
To avoid hyperactivation, as observed in many cancer cells, the activity of Akt inside the cell needs to be tightly controlled
and remain proportional to the external signals- similar to a car's gas pedal.
In addition to its proportional activation, Akt activity must also be locally confined, as an
activated Akt phosphorylating targets indiscriminately would be detrimental to the cell's health- just as a car speeding off without the driver behind the wheel is likely to cause an accident.