Translocation and activation of AKT2 in response to stimulation by insulin.

Abstract

The AKT2 oncogene encodes a protein-serine/threonine kinase that was recently shown to be activated by a variety of growth factors. In addition, we previously showed that AKT2 is abundant in brown fat and skeletal muscle, tissues that are highly insulin responsive and that play a role in glucose metabolism. In this study, we demonstrate that AKT2 is activated in response to stimulation by insulin in a dose- and time-dependent manner in human ovarian carcinoma cells and that activation of AKT2 is abolished in cells pretreated with wortmannin, an inhibitor of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI 3-kinase). Activation of AKT2 is manifested by changes in its phosphorylation state. Immunofluorescence experiments demonstrate that AKT2 is translocated to the plasma membrane after insulin stimulation, and this translocation is abolished by wortmannin. Both wild-type AKT2 activated by insulin and constitutively active AKT2, which has been targeted to the membrane by the addition of a myristoylation signal, were found to inactivate glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3) in vitro. GSK-3 was not inactivated by a catalytically inactive AKT2 mutant. Collectively, these data indicate that activation of AKT2 by insulin is mediated by PI 3-kinase and that GSK-3 is a downstream target of AKT2, suggesting a potentially important role of AKT2 in glycogen synthesis and other GSK-3 signaling pathways.

• Authors: Y Mitsuuchi, S W Johnson, S Moonblatt, J R Testa
• Journal: Journal of cellular biochemistry (J Cell Biochem) Vol. 70 Issue 4 Pg. 433-41 (Sep 15 1998) ISSN: 0730-2312 [Print] United States
• PMID: 9712142 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't, Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.)

Chemical References

• Androstadienes
• Enzyme Inhibitors
• Insulin
• Proto-Oncogene Proteins
• Glycogen Synthase Kinases
• AKT2 protein, human
• Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases
• Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt
• Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinases
• Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3
• Wortmannin

Topics

• Androstadienes (pharmacology)
• Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinases (antagonists & inhibitors, metabolism)
• Enzyme Inhibitors (pharmacology)
• Gene Expression Regulation (drug effects)
• Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3
• Glycogen Synthase Kinases
• Humans
• Insulin (pharmacology)
• Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases
• Proto-Oncogene Proteins (genetics)
• Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt
• Signal Transduction
• Tumor Cells, Cultured
• Wortmannin