Premium
Switching Akt: from survival signaling to deadly response
Author(s) -
Los Marek,
Maddika Subbareddy,
Erb Bettina,
SchulzeOsthoff Klaus
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
bioessays
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.175
H-Index - 184
eISSN - 1521-1878
pISSN - 0265-9247
DOI - 10.1002/bies.200900005
Subject(s) - protein kinase b , cell survival , microbiology and biotechnology , cancer research , pi3k/akt/mtor pathway , signal transduction , biology , function (biology) , kinase , apoptosis , biochemistry
Akt, a protein kinase hyperactivated in many tumors, plays a major role in both cell survival and resistance to tumor therapy. A recent study,1 along with other evidences, shows interestingly, that Akt is not a single‐function kinase, but may facilitate rather than inhibit cell death under certain conditions. This hitherto undetected function of Akt is accomplished by its ability to increase reactive oxygen species and to suppress antioxidant enzymes. The ability of Akt to down‐regulate antioxidant defenses uncovers a novel Achilles' heel, which could be exploited by oxidant therapies in order to selectively eradicate tumor cells that express high levels of Akt activity.