Phosphorylation and regulation of Akt/PKB by the rictor-mTOR complex

Deregulation of Akt/protein kinase B (PKB) is implicated in the pathogenesis of cancer and diabetes. Akt/PKB activation requires the phosphorylation of Thr308 in the activation loop by the phosphoinositide-dependent kinase 1 (PDK1) and Ser473 within the carboxyl-terminal hydrophobic motif by an unknown kinase. We show that in Drosophila and human cells the target of rapamycin (TOR) kinase and its associated protein rictor are necessary for Ser473 phosphorylation and that a reduction in rictor or mammalian TOR (mTOR) expression inhibited an Akt/PKB effector. The rictor-mTOR complex directly phosphorylated Akt/PKB on Ser473 in vitro and facilitated Thr308 phosphorylation by PDK1. Rictor-mTOR may serve as a drug target in tumors that have lost the expression of PTEN, a tumor suppressor that opposes Akt/PKB activation.     

TRB3: a tribbles homolog that inhibits Akt/PKB activation by insulin in liver

Insulin resistance is a major hallmark in the development of type II diabetes, which is characterized by the failure of insulin to promote glucose uptake in muscle and to suppress glucose production in liver. The serine-threonine kinase Akt (PKB) is a principal target of insulin signaling that inhibits hepatic glucose output when glucose is available from food. Here we show that TRB3, a mammalian homolog of Drosophila tribbles, functions as a negative modulator of Akt. TRB3 expression is induced in liver under fasting conditions, and TRB3 disrupts insulin signaling by binding directly to Akt and blocking activation of the kinase. Amounts of TRB3 RNA and protein were increased in livers of db/db diabetic mice compared with those in wild-type mice. Hepatic overexpression of TRB3 in amounts comparable to those in db/db mice promoted hyperglycemia and glucose intolerance. Our results suggest that, by interfering with Akt activation, TRB3 contributes to insulin resistance in individuals with susceptibility to type II diabetes.     

Carboxyl-terminal modulator protein (CTMP), a negative regulator of PKB/Akt and v-Akt at the plasma membrane

The PKB (protein kinase B, also called Akt) family of protein kinases plays a key role in insulin signaling, cellular survival, and transformation. PKB is activated by phosphorylation on residues threonine 308, by the protein kinase PDK1, and Serine 473, by a putative serine 473 kinase. Several protein binding partners for PKB have been identified. Here, we describe a protein partner for PKBalpha termed CTMP, or carboxyl-terminal modulator protein, that binds specifically to the carboxyl-terminal regulatory domain of PKBalpha at the plasma membrane. Binding of CTMP reduces the activity of PKBalpha by inhibiting phosphorylation on serine 473 and threonine 308. Moreover, CTMP expression reverts the phenotype of v-Akt-transformed cells examined under a number of criteria including cell morphology, growth rate, and in vivo tumorigenesis. These findings identify CTMP as a negative regulatory component of the pathway controlling PKB activity.     

Living with lethal PIP3 levels: viability of flies lacking PTEN restored by a PH domain mutation in Akt/PKB

The phosphoinositide phosphatase PTEN is mutated in many human cancers. Although the role of PTEN has been studied extensively, the relative contributions of its numerous potential downstream effectors to deregulated growth and tumorigenesis remain uncertain. We provide genetic evidence in Drosophila melanogaster for the paramount importance of the protein kinase Akt [also called protein kinase B (PKB)] in mediating the effects of increased phosphatidylinositol 3,4,5-trisphosphate (PIP3) concentrations that are caused by the loss of PTEN function. A mutation in the pleckstrin homology (PH) domain of Akt that reduces its affinity for PIP3 sufficed to rescue the lethality of flies devoid of PTEN activity. Thus, Akt appears to be the only critical target activated by increased PIP3 concentrations in Drosophila.     

蛋白激酶B短发夹环RNA表达载体的构建及其对血管平滑肌细胞增殖活性的影响

目的构建靶向蛋白激酶B基因的短发夹环RNA表达载体,观察其对血管平滑肌细胞增殖活性的影响。方法设计多个针对大鼠蛋白激酶B基因的短发夹环RNA序列,化学合成方法合成并经pGEM-T载体克隆后双酶切,将cDNA序列插入逆转录病毒载体pLXIN,包装后获得蛋白激酶B的逆转录表达载体,感染血管平滑肌细胞,Northern blot和Western blot法检测蛋白激酶B及其下游底物的表达变化,流式细胞仪检测细胞周期变化,MTT法检测血管平滑肌细胞增殖活性的改变。结果成功构建蛋白激酶B基因的逆转录病毒载体并包装,感染血管平滑肌细胞,证实其能显著抑制蛋白激酶B的mRNA和蛋白产物表达,下游的p70s6k表达相应减少;被感染血管平滑肌细胞的分裂、增殖过程受阻,更多细胞停滞在G0/G1期。结论成功构建蛋白激酶B基因逆转录病毒RNA干扰表达载体,感染血管平滑肌细胞能够明显抑制其分裂、分化和增殖。     

Extension of life-span by loss of CHICO, a Drosophila insulin receptor substrate protein

The Drosophila melanogaster gene chico encodes an insulin receptor substrate that functions in an insulin/insulin-like growth factor (IGF) signaling pathway. In the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, insulin/IGF signaling regulates adult longevity. We found that mutation of chico extends fruit fly median life-span by up to 48% in homozygotes and 36% in heterozygotes. Extension of life-span was not a result of impaired oogenesis in chico females, nor was it consistently correlated with increased stress resistance. The dwarf phenotype of chico homozygotes was also unnecessary for extension of life-span. The role of insulin/IGF signaling in regulating animal aging is therefore evolutionarily conserved.     

Steroid control of longevity in Drosophila melanogaster

Ecdysone, the major steroid hormone of Drosophila melanogaster, is known for its role in development and reproduction. Flies that are heterozygous for mutations of the ecdysone receptor exhibit increases in life-span and resistance to various stresses, with no apparent deficit in fertility or activity. A mutant involved in the biosynthesis of ecdysone displays similar effects, which are suppressed by feeding ecdysone to the flies. These observations demonstrate the importance of the ecdysone hormonal pathway, a new player in regulating longevity.     

Requirement of NAD and SIR2 for life-span extension by calorie restriction in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Calorie restriction extends life-span in a wide variety of organisms. Although it has been suggested that calorie restriction may work by reducing the levels of reactive oxygen species produced during respiration, the mechanism by which this regimen slows aging is uncertain. Here, we mimicked calorie restriction in yeast by physiological or genetic means and showed a substantial extension in life-span. This extension was not observed in strains mutant for SIR2 (which encodes the silencing protein Sir2p) or NPT1 (a gene in a pathway in the synthesis of NAD, the oxidized form of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide). These findings suggest that the increased longevity induced by calorie restriction requires the activation of Sir2p by NAD.     

Extended life-span conferred by cotransporter gene mutations in Drosophila

Aging is genetically determined and environmentally modulated. In a study of longevity in the adult fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, we found that five independent P-element insertional mutations in a single gene resulted in a near doubling of the average adult life-span without a decline in fertility or physical activity. Sequence analysis revealed that the product of this gene, named Indy (for I'm not dead yet), is most closely related to a mammalian sodium dicarboxylate cotransporter-a membrane protein that transports Krebs cycle intermediates. Indy was most abundantly expressed in the fat body, midgut, and oenocytes: the principal sites of intermediary metabolism in the fly. Excision of the P element resulted in a reversion to normal life-span. These mutations may create a metabolic state that mimics caloric restriction, which has been shown to extend life-span.     

Phosphorylation and regulation of Raf by Akt (protein kinase B)

Activation of the protein kinase Raf can lead to opposing cellular responses such as proliferation, growth arrest, apoptosis, or differentiation. Akt (protein kinase B), a member of a different signaling pathway that also regulates these responses, interacted with Raf and phosphorylated this protein at a highly conserved serine residue in its regulatory domain in vivo. This phosphorylation of Raf by Akt inhibited activation of the Raf-MEK-ERK signaling pathway and shifted the cellular response in a human breast cancer cell line from cell cycle arrest to proliferation. These observations provide a molecular basis for cross talk between two signaling pathways at the level of Raf and Akt.     

Timing requirements for insulin/IGF-1 signaling in C. elegans

The insulin/IGF-1 (where IGF-1 is insulin-like growth factor-1) signaling pathway influences longevity, reproduction, and diapause in many organisms. Because of the fundamental importance of this system in animal physiology, we asked when during the animal's life it is required to regulate these different processes. We find that in Caenorhabditis elegans, the pathway acts during adulthood, to relatively advanced ages, to influence aging. In contrast, it regulates diapause during development. In addition, the pathway controls longevity and reproduction independently of one another. Together our findings show that life-span regulation can be dissociated temporally from phenotypes that might seem to decrease the quality of life.     

A retroviral oncogene, akt, encoding a serine-threonine kinase containing an SH2-like region.

The v-akt oncogene codes for a 105-kilodalton fusion phosphoprotein containing Gag sequences at its amino terminus. Sequence analysis of v-akt and biochemical characterization of its product revealed that it codes for a protein kinase C-related serine-threonine kinase whose cellular homolog is expressed in most tissues, with the highest amount found in thymus. Although Akt is a serine-threonine kinase, part of its regulatory region is similar to the Src homology-2 domain, a structural motif characteristic of cytoplasmic tyrosine kinases that functions in protein-protein interactions. This suggests that Akt may form a functional link between tyrosine and serine-threonine phosphorylation pathways.     

Insulin resistance and a diabetes mellitus-like syndrome in mice lacking the protein kinase Akt2 (PKB beta)

Glucose homeostasis depends on insulin responsiveness in target tissues, most importantly, muscle and liver. The critical initial steps in insulin action include phosphorylation of scaffolding proteins and activation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase. These early events lead to activation of the serine-threonine protein kinase Akt, also known as protein kinase B. We show that mice deficient in Akt2 are impaired in the ability of insulin to lower blood glucose because of defects in the action of the hormone on liver and skeletal muscle. These data establish Akt2 as an essential gene in the maintenance of normal glucose homeostasis.     

Extended longevity in mice lacking the insulin receptor in adipose tissue

Caloric restriction has been shown to increase longevity in organisms ranging from yeast to mammals. In some organisms, this has been associated with a decreased fat mass and alterations in insulin/insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) pathways. To further explore these associations with enhanced longevity, we studied mice with a fat-specific insulin receptor knockout (FIRKO). These animals have reduced fat mass and are protected against age-related obesity and its subsequent metabolic abnormalities, although their food intake is normal. Both male and female FIRKO mice were found to have an increase in mean life-span of approximately 134 days (18%), with parallel increases in median and maximum life-spans. Thus, a reduction of fat mass without caloric restriction can be associated with increased longevity in mice, possibly through effects on insulin signaling.     

Regulation of C. elegans life-span by insulinlike signaling in the nervous system

An insulinlike signaling pathway controls Caenorhabditis elegans aging, metabolism, and development. Mutations in the daf-2 insulin receptor-like gene or the downstream age-1 phosphoinositide 3-kinase gene extend adult life-span by two- to threefold. To identify tissues where this pathway regulates aging and metabolism, we restored daf-2 pathway signaling to only neurons, muscle, or intestine. Insulinlike signaling in neurons alone was sufficient to specify wild-type life-span, but muscle or intestinal signaling was not. However, restoring daf-2 pathway signaling to muscle rescued metabolic defects, thus decoupling regulation of life-span and metabolism. These findings point to the nervous system as a central regulator of animal longevity.     

A mutant Drosophila insulin receptor homolog that extends life-span and impairs neuroendocrine function

The Drosophila melanogaster gene insulin-like receptor (InR) is homologous to mammalian insulin receptors as well as to Caenorhabditis elegans daf-2, a signal transducer regulating worm dauer formation and adult longevity. We describe a heteroallelic, hypomorphic genotype of mutant InR, which yields dwarf females with up to an 85% extension of adult longevity and dwarf males with reduced late age-specific mortality. Treatment of the long-lived InR dwarfs with a juvenile hormone analog restores life expectancy toward that of wild-type controls. We conclude that juvenile hormone deficiency, which results from InR signal pathway mutation, is sufficient to extend life-span, and that in flies, insulin-like ligands nonautonomously mediate aging through retardation of growth or activation of specific endocrine tissue.     

Differentiation stage-specific inhibition of the Raf-MEK-ERK pathway by Akt

Extracellular signals often result in simultaneous activation of both the Raf-MEK-ERK and PI3K-Akt pathways (where ERK is extracellular-regulated kinase, MEK is mitogen-activated protein kinase or ERK kinase, and PI3K is phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase). However, these two signaling pathways were shown to exert opposing effects on muscle cell hypertrophy. Furthermore, the PI3K-Akt pathway was shown to inhibit the Raf-MEK-ERK pathway; this cross-regulation depended on the differentiation state of the cell: Akt activation inhibited the Raf-MEK-ERK pathway in differentiated myotubes, but not in their myoblast precursors. The stage-specific inhibitory action of Akt correlated with its stage-specific ability to form a complex with Raf, suggesting the existence of differentially expressed mediators of an inhibitory Akt-Raf complex.