Protein kinase B and its role in the signal transduction pathway mediated by phosphoinositide 3-kinase

Protein kinase B (PKB) is the expression product of a proto-oncongen (c-akt), which is involved in the signaling pathways initiated by some growth factors and mediated by phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K). PKB is a direct target of PI3K. Similar to many protein kinases, PKB has a specific AH/PH domain which can mediate the interaction between signaling molecules. The lipid second messengers, PI-3, 4-P2 and PI-3,4,5-P3 produced by PI3K, can bind to the AH/PH domain of PKB and of PDK (phosphoinositide dependent protein kinase). This binding translocates PKB and PDK to the plasma membrane, and activates them. PKB is also activated via phosphorylation by PDK and, in turn, will activate the anti-apoptotic machinery, glucose metabolism (glycogen synthesis, glycolysis and glucose uptake) and protein synthesis. All these lead to cell growth and proliferation.