Capturing conformational transitions of full-length PDK1 that dictate kinase substrate selectivity.

PDK1 is a constitutively active master kinase that can phosphorylate and activate as many as 24 enzymes, all belonging to the AGC family of serine-threonine protein kinases. In this issue of Science Signaling, Sacerdoti et al. uncover how allosteric communication between different functional domains directs the selectivity of PDK1 toward particular subsets of substrates.

The ERK5/NF-κB signaling pathway targets endometrial cancer proliferation and survival.

Endometrial cancer (EC) is the most common type of gynecologic cancer in women of developed countries. Despite surgery combined with chemo-/radiotherapy regimens, overall survival of patients with high-risk EC tumors is poor, indicating a need for novel therapies. The MEK5-ERK5 pathway is activated in response to growth factors and to different stressors, including oxidative stress and cytokines. Previous evidence supports a role for the MEK5-ERK5 pathway in the pathology of several cancers. We investigated the role of ERK5 in EC. In silico analysis of the PanCancer Atlas dataset showed alterations in components of the MEK5-ERK5 pathway in 48% of EC patients. Here, we show that ERK5 inhibition or silencing decreased EGF-induced EC cell proliferation, and that genetic deletion of MEK5 resulted in EC impaired proliferation and reduced tumor growth capacity in nude mice. Pharmacologic inhibition or ERK5 silencing impaired NF-kB pathway in EC cells and xenografts. Furthermore, we found a positive correlation between ERK5 and p65/RELA protein levels in human EC tumor samples. Mechanistically, genetic or pharmacologic impairment of ERK5 resulted in downregulation of NEMO/IKKγ expression, leading to impaired p65/RELA activity and to apoptosis in EC cells and xenografts, which was rescued by NEMO/IKKγ overexpression. Notably, ERK5 inhibition, MEK5 deletion or NF-kB inhibition sensitized EC cells to standard EC chemotherapy (paclitaxel/carboplatin) toxicity, whereas ERK5 inhibition synergized with paclitaxel to reduce tumor xenograft growth in mice. Together, our results suggest that the ERK5-NEMO-NF-κB pathway mediates EC cell proliferation and survival. We propose the ERK5/NF-κB axis as new target for EC treatment.

Gossypol Treatment Restores Insufficient Apoptotic Function of DFF40/CAD in Human Glioblastoma Cells.

Glioblastoma (GBM) is a highly aggressive brain tumor and almost all patients die because of relapses. GBM-derived cells undergo cell death without nuclear fragmentation upon treatment with different apoptotic agents. Nuclear dismantling determines the point-of-no-return in the apoptotic process. DFF40/CAD is the main endonuclease implicated in apoptotic nuclear disassembly. To be properly activated, DFF40/CAD should reside in the cytosol. However, the endonuclease is poorly expressed in the cytosol and remains cumulated in the nucleus of GBM cells. Here, by employing commercial and non-commercial patient-derived GBM cells, we demonstrate that the natural terpenoid aldehyde gossypol prompts DFF40/CAD-dependent nuclear fragmentation. A comparative analysis between gossypol- and staurosporine-treated cells evidenced that levels of neither caspase activation nor DNA damage were correlated with the ability of each compound to induce nuclear fragmentation. Deconvoluted confocal images revealed that DFF40/CAD was almost completely excluded from the nucleus early after the staurosporine challenge. However, gossypol-treated cells maintained DFF40/CAD in the nucleus for longer times, shaping a ribbon-like structure piercing the nuclear fragments and building a network of bridged masses of compacted chromatin. Therefore, GBM cells can fragment their nuclei if treated with the adequate insult, making the cell death process irreversible.

Effects of CK2ß subunit down-regulation on Akt signalling in HK-2 renal cells.

The PI3K/Akt pathway is interconnected to protein kinase CK2, which directly phosphorylates Akt1 at S129. We have previously found that, in HK-2 renal cells, downregulation of the CK2 regulatory subunit ß (shCK2ß cells) reduces S129 Akt phosphorylation. Here, we investigated in more details how the different CK2 isoforms impact on Akt and other signaling pathways. We found that all CK2 isoforms phosphorylate S129 in vitro, independently of CK2ß. However, in HK-2 cells the dependence on CK2ß was confirmed by rescue experiments (CK2ß re-expression in shCK2ß HK-2 cells), suggesting the presence of additional components that drive Akt recognition by CK2 in cells. We also found that CK2ß downregulation altered the phosphorylation ratio between the two canonical Akt activation sites (pT308 strongly reduced, pS473 slightly increased) in HK-2 cells. Similar results were found in other cell lines where CK2ß was stably knocked out by CRISPR-Cas9 technology. The phosphorylation of rpS6 S235/S236, a downstream effector of Akt, was strongly reduced in shCK2ß HK-2 cells, while the phosphorylation of two Akt direct targets, PRAS40 T246 and GSK3ß S9, was increased. Differently to what observed in response to CK2ß down-regulation, the chemical inhibition of CK2 activity by cell treatment with the specific inhibitor CX-4945 reduced both the Akt canonical sites, pT308 and pS473. In CX-4945-treated cells, the changes in rpS6 pS235/S236 and GSK3ß pS9 mirrored those induced by CK2ß knock-down (reduction and slight increase, respectively); on the contrary, the effect on PRAS40 pT246 phosphorylation was sharply different, being strongly reduced by CK2 inhibition; this suggests that this Akt target might be dependent on Akt pS473 status in HK-2 cells. Since PI3K/Akt and ERK1/2/p90rsk pathways are known to be interconnected and both modulated by CK2, with GSK3ß pS9 representing a convergent point, we investigated if ERK1/2/p90rsk signaling was affected by CK2ß knock-down and CX-4945 treatment in HK-2 cells. We found that p90rsk was insensitive to any kind of CK2 targeting; therefore, the observation that, similarly, GSK3ß pS9 was not reduced by CK2 blockade suggests that GSK3ß phosphorylation is mainly under the control of p90rsk in these cells. However, we found that the PI3K inhibitor LY294002 reduced GSK3ß pS9, and concomitantly decreased Snail1 levels (a GSK3ß target and Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal transition marker). The effects of LY294002 were observed also in CK2ß-downregulated cells, suggesting that reducing GSK3ß pS9 could be a strategy to control Snail1 levels in any situation where CK2ß is defective, as possibly occurring in cancer cells.

Reducing the Levels of Akt Activation by PDK1 Knock-in Mutation Protects Neuronal Cultures against Synthetic Amyloid-Beta Peptides.

The Akt kinase has been widely assumed for years as a key downstream effector of the PI3K signaling pathway in promoting neuronal survival. This notion was however challenged by the finding that neuronal survival responses were still preserved in mice with reduced Akt activity. Moreover, here we show that the Akt signaling is elevated in the aged brain of two different mice models of Alzheimer Disease. We manipulate the rate of Akt stimulation by employing knock-in mice expressing a mutant form of PDK1 (phosphoinositide-dependent protein kinase 1) with reduced, but not abolished, ability to activate Akt. We found increased membrane localization and activity of the TACE/ADAM17 α-secretase in the brain of the PDK1 mutant mice with concomitant TNFR1 processing, which provided neurons with resistance against TNFα-induced neurotoxicity. Opposite to the Alzheimer Disease transgenic mice, the PDK1 knock-in mice exhibited an age-dependent attenuation of the unfolding protein response, which protected the mutant neurons against endoplasmic reticulum stressors. Moreover, these two mechanisms cooperatively provide the mutant neurons with resistance against amyloid-beta oligomers, and might singularly also contribute to protect these mice against amyloid-beta pathology.

Mutation of the 3-Phosphoinositide-Dependent Protein Kinase 1 (PDK1) Substrate-Docking Site in the Developing Brain Causes Microcephaly with Abnormal Brain Morphogenesis Independently of Akt, Leading to Impaired Cognition and Disruptive Behaviors.

The phosphoinositide (PI) 3-kinase/Akt signaling pathway plays essential roles during neuronal development. 3-Phosphoinositide-dependent protein kinase 1 (PDK1) coordinates the PI 3-kinase signals by activating 23 kinases of the AGC family, including Akt. Phosphorylation of a conserved docking site in the substrate is a requisite for PDK1 to recognize, phosphorylate, and activate most of these kinases, with the exception of Akt. We exploited this differential mechanism of regulation by generating neuron-specific conditional knock-in mice expressing a mutant form of PDK1, L155E, in which the substrate-docking site binding motif, termed the PIF pocket, was disrupted. As a consequence, activation of all the PDK1 substrates tested except Akt was abolished. The mice exhibited microcephaly, altered cortical layering, and reduced circuitry, leading to cognitive deficits and exacerbated disruptive behavior combined with diminished motivation. The abnormal patterning of the adult brain arises from the reduced ability of the embryonic neurons to polarize and extend their axons, highlighting the essential roles that the PDK1 signaling beyond Akt plays in mediating the neuronal responses that regulate brain development.

MicroRNA-497 impairs the growth of chemoresistant neuroblastoma cells by targeting cell cycle, survival and vascular permeability genes.

Despite multimodal therapies, a high percentage of high-risk neuroblastoma (NB) become refractory to current treatments, most of which interfere with cell cycle and DNA synthesis or function, activating the DNA damage response (DDR). In cancer, this process is frequently altered by deregulated expression or function of several genes which contribute to multidrug resistance (MDR). MicroRNAs are outstanding candidates for therapy since a single microRNA can modulate the expression of multiple genes of the same or different pathways, thus hindering the development of resistance mechanisms by the tumor. We found several genes implicated in the MDR to be overexpressed in high-risk NB which could be targeted by microRNAs simultaneously. Our functional screening identified several of those microRNAs that reduced proliferation of chemoresistant NB cell lines, the best of which was miR-497. Low expression of miR-497 correlated with poor patient outcome. The overexpression of miR-497 reduced the proliferation of multiple chemoresistant NB cell lines and induced apoptosis in MYCN-amplified cell lines. Moreover, the conditional expression of miR-497 in NB xenografts reduced tumor growth and inhibited vascular permeabilization. MiR-497 targets multiple genes related to the DDR, cell cycle, survival and angiogenesis, which renders this molecule a promising candidate for NB therapy.

Canonical and kinase activity-independent mechanisms for extracellular signal-regulated kinase 5 (ERK5) nuclear translocation require dissociation of Hsp90 from the ERK5-Cdc37 complex.

The mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase extracellular signal-regulated kinase 5 (ERK5) plays a crucial role in cell proliferation, regulating gene transcription. ERK5 has a unique C-terminal tail which contains a transcriptional activation domain, and activates transcription by phosphorylating transcription factors and acting itself as a transcriptional coactivator. However, the molecular mechanisms that regulate its nucleocytoplasmatic traffic are unknown. We have used tandem affinity purification to identify proteins that interact with ERK5. We show that ERK5 interacts with the Hsp90-Cdc37 chaperone in resting cells, and that inhibition of Hsp90 or Cdc37 results in ERK5 ubiquitylation and proteasomal degradation. Interestingly, activation of cellular ERK5 induces Hsp90 dissociation from the ERK5-Cdc37 complex, leading to ERK5 nuclear translocation and activation of transcription, by a mechanism which requires the autophosphorylation at its C-terminal tail. Consequently, active ERK5 is no longer sensitive to Hsp90 or Cdc37 inhibitors. Cdc37 overexpression also induces Hsp90 dissociation and the nuclear translocation of a kinase-inactive form of ERK5 which retains transcriptional activity. This is the first example showing that ERK5 transcriptional activity does not require kinase activity. Since Cdc37 cooperates with ERK5 to promote cell proliferation, Cdc37 overexpression (as happens in some cancers) might represent a new, noncanonical mechanism by which ERK5 regulates tumor proliferation.

Interaction of PDK1 with phosphoinositides is essential for neuronal differentiation but dispensable for neuronal survival.

3-Phosphoinositide-dependent protein kinase 1 (PDK1) operates in cells in response to phosphoinositide 3-kinase activation and phosphatidylinositol-3,4,5-trisphosphate [PtdIns(3,4,5)P(3)] production by activating a number of AGC kinases, including protein kinase B (PKB)/Akt. Both PDK1 and PKB contain pleckstrin homology (PH) domains that interact with the PtdIns(3,4,5)P(3) second messenger. Disrupting the interaction of the PDK1 PH domain with phosphoinositides by expressing the PDK1 K465E knock-in mutation resulted in mice with reduced PKB activation. We explored the physiological consequences of this biochemical lesion in the central nervous system. The PDK1 knock-in mice displayed a reduced brain size due to a reduction in neuronal cell size rather than cell number. Reduced BDNF-induced phosphorylation of PKB at Thr308, the PDK1 site, was observed in the mutant neurons, which was not rate limiting for the phosphorylation of those PKB substrates governing neuronal survival and apoptosis, such as FOXO1 or glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK3). Accordingly, the integrity of the PDK1 PH domain was not essential to support the survival of different embryonic neuronal populations analyzed. In contrast, PKB-mediated phosphorylation of PRAS40 and TSC2, allowing optimal mTORC1 activation and brain-specific kinase (BRSK) protein synthesis, was markedly reduced in the mutant mice, leading to impaired neuronal growth and differentiation.

Brain specific kinase-1 BRSK1/SAD-B associates with lipid rafts: modulation of kinase activity by lipid environment.

Brain specific kinases 1 and 2 (BRSK1/2, also named SAD kinases) are serine-threonine kinases specifically expressed in the brain, and activated by LKB1-mediated phosphorylation of a threonine residue at their T-loop (Thr189/174 in human BRSK1/2). BRSKs are crucial for establishing neuronal polarity, and BRSK1 has also been shown to regulate neurotransmitter release presynaptically. How BRSK1 exerts this latter function is unknown, since its substrates at the synaptic terminal and the mechanisms modulating its activity remain to be described. Key regulators of neurotransmitter release, such as SNARE complex proteins, are located at membrane rafts. Therefore we initially undertook this work to check whether BRSK1 also locates at these membrane microdomains. Here we show that brain BRSK1, but not BRSK2, is palmitoylated, and provide biochemical and pharmacological evidences demonstrating that a pool of BRSK1, but not BRSK2 or LKB1, localizes at membrane lipid rafts. We also show that raft-associated BRSK1 has higher activity than BRSK1 from non-raft environment, based on a higher T-loop phosphorylation at Thr-189. Further, recombinant BRSK1 activity increased 3-fold when assayed with small multilamellar vesicles (SMV) generated with lipids extracted from synaptosomal raft fractions. A similar BRSK1-activating effect was obtained with synthetic SMV made with phosphatidylcholine, cholesterol and sphingomyelin, mixed in the same molar ratio at which these three major lipids are present in rafts. Importantly, SMV also enhanced the activity of a constitutively active BRSK1 (T189E), underpinning that interaction with lipid rafts represents a new mechanism of BRSK1 activity modulation, additional to T-loop phosphorylation.

Activation of the cardiac mTOR/p70(S6K) pathway by leucine requires PDK1 and correlates with PRAS40 phosphorylation.

Like insulin, leucine stimulates the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR)/p70 ribosomal S6 kinase (p70(S6K)) axis in various organs. Insulin proceeds via the canonical association of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K), phosphoinositide-dependent protein kinase-1 (PDK1), and protein kinase B (PKB/Akt). The signaling involved in leucine effect, although known to implicate a PI3K mechanism independent of PKB/Akt, is more poorly understood. In this study, we investigated whether PDK1 could also participate in the events leading to mTOR/p70(S6K) activation in response to leucine in the heart. In wild-type hearts, both leucine and insulin increased p70(S6K) activity whereas, in contrast to insulin, leucine was unable to activate PKB/Akt. The changes in p70(S6K) activity induced by insulin and leucine correlated with changes in phosphorylation of Thr(389), the mTOR phosphorylation site on p70(S6K), and of Ser(2448) on mTOR, both related to mTOR activity. Leucine also triggered phosphorylation of the proline-rich Akt/PKB substrate of 40 kDa (PRAS40), a new pivotal mTOR regulator. In PDK1 knockout hearts, leucine, similarly to insulin, failed to induce the phosphorylation of mTOR and p70(S6K), leading to the absence of p70(S6K) activation. The loss of leucine effect in absence of PDK1 correlated with the lack of PRAS40 phosphorylation. Moreover, the introduction in PDK1 of the L155E mutation, which is known to preserve the insulin-induced and PKB/Akt-dependent phosphorylation of mTOR/p70(S6K), suppressed all leucine effects, including phosphorylation of mTOR, PRAS40, and p70(S6K). We conclude that the leucine-induced stimulation of the cardiac PRAS40/mTOR/p70(S6K) pathway requires PDK1 in a way that differs from that of insulin.

Phosphoinositide (3,4,5)-triphosphate binding to phosphoinositide-dependent kinase 1 regulates a protein kinase B/Akt signaling threshold that dictates T-cell migration, not proliferation.

The present study explored the consequences of phosphoinositide (3,4,5)-triphosphate [PI(3,4,5)P(3)] binding to the pleckstrin homology (PH) domain of the serine/threonine kinase 3-phosphoinositide-dependent kinase 1 (PDK1). The salient finding is that PDK1 directly transduces the PI(3,4,5)P(3) signaling that determines T-cell trafficking programs but not T-cell growth and proliferation. The integrity of the PDK1 PH domain thus is not required for PDK1 catalytic activity or to support cell survival and the proliferation of thymic and peripheral T cells. However, a PDK1 mutant that cannot bind PI(3,4,5)P(3) cannot trigger the signals that terminate the expression of the transcription factor KLF2 in activated T cells and cannot switch the chemokine and adhesion receptor profile of naive T cells to the profile of effector T cells. The PDK1 PH domain also is required for the maximal activation of Akt/protein kinase B (PKB) and for the maximal phosphorylation and inactivation of Foxo family transcription factors in T cells. PI(3,4,5)P(3) binding to PDK1 and the strength of PKB activity thus can dictate the nature of the T-cell response. Low levels of PKB activity can be sufficient for T-cell proliferation but insufficient to initiate the migratory program of effector T cells.

Dissecting the role of the 3-phosphoinositide-dependent protein kinase-1 (PDK1) signalling pathways.

The 3-phosphoinositide-dependent protein kinase-1 (PDK1) mediates the cellular effect of insulin and growth factors by activating a group of kinases including PKB/Akt, S6K, RSK, SGK and PKC isoforms. PDK1 possesses two regulatory domains namely a Pleckstrin Homology (PH) domain that binds to the phosphatidylinositol 3,4,5-trisphosphate [PtdIns(3,4,5)P(3)] second messenger, and a substrate binding site termed the PIF-pocket. Employing a combination of biochemical, structural and mouse knock-in approaches we have been able to define the roles that the regulatory domains on PDK1 play. We have established that binding of PDK1 to PtdIns(3,4,5)P(3) is essential for efficient activation of PKB isoforms as well as for maintaining normal cell size and insulin sensitivity. In contrast, the PIF-substrate binding pocket of PDK1 is not required for PKB activation, but is necessary for PDK1 to activate all of its other substrates.

Mutation of the PDK1 PH domain inhibits protein kinase B/Akt, leading to small size and insulin resistance.

PDK1 activates a group of kinases, including protein kinase B (PKB)/Akt, p70 ribosomal S6 kinase (S6K), and serum and glucocorticoid-induced protein kinase (SGK), that mediate many of the effects of insulin as well as other agonists. PDK1 interacts with phosphoinositides through a pleckstrin homology (PH) domain. To study the role of this interaction, we generated knock-in mice expressing a mutant of PDK1 incapable of binding phosphoinositides. The knock-in mice are significantly small, insulin resistant, and hyperinsulinemic. Activation of PKB is markedly reduced in knock-in mice as a result of lower phosphorylation of PKB at Thr308, the residue phosphorylated by PDK1. This results in the inhibition of the downstream mTOR complex 1 and S6K1 signaling pathways. In contrast, activation of SGK1 or p90 ribosomal S6 kinase or stimulation of S6K1 induced by feeding is unaffected by the PDK1 PH domain mutation. These observations establish the importance of the PDK1-phosphoinositide interaction in enabling PKB to be efficiently activated with an animal model. Our findings reveal how reduced activation of PKB isoforms impinges on downstream signaling pathways, causing diminution of size as well as insulin resistance.

The long form of Fas apoptotic inhibitory molecule is expressed specifically in neurons and protects them against death receptor-triggered apoptosis.

Death receptors (DRs) and their ligands are expressed in developing nervous system. However, neurons are generally resistant to death induction through DRs and rather their activation promotes neuronal outgrowth and branching. These results suppose the existence of DRs antagonists expressed in the nervous system. Fas apoptosis inhibitory molecule (FAIM(S)) was first identified as a Fas antagonist in B-cells. Soon after, a longer alternative spliced isoform with unknown function was identified and named FAIM(L). FAIM(S) is widely expressed, including the nervous system, and we have shown previously that it promotes neuronal differentiation but it is not an anti-apoptotic molecule in this system. Here, we demonstrate that FAIM(L) is expressed specifically in neurons, and its expression is regulated during the development. Expression could be induced by NGF through the extracellular regulated kinase pathway in PC12 (pheochromocytoma cell line) cells. Contrary to FAIM(S), FAIM(L) does not increase the neurite outgrowth induced by neurotrophins and does not interfere with nuclear factor kappaB pathway activation as FAIM(S) does. Cells overexpressing FAIM(L) are resistant to apoptotic cell death induced by DRs such as Fas or tumor necrosis factor R1. Reduction of endogenous expression by small interfering RNA shows that endogenous FAIM(L) protects primary neurons from DR-induced cell death. The detailed analysis of this antagonism shows that FAIM(L) can bind to Fas receptor and prevent the activation of the initiator caspase-8 induced by Fas. In conclusion, our results indicate that FAIM(L) could be responsible for maintaining initiator caspases inactive after receptor engagement protecting neurons from the cytotoxic action of death ligands.

Evaluation of approaches to generation of tissue-specific knock-in mice.

We explored three approaches to create tissue-specific knock-in mice by generating knock-in mice in which a substrate-docking site of the PDK1 protein kinase was ablated in Cre-expressing tissues in a way that prevented activation of one of its substrates, p70 ribosomal S6 kinase (S6K), but not another (protein kinase B (PKB)). Employing two of the approaches, termed the "heterozygous" and "minigene" methods, we generated mice in which Cre-expressing skeletal and cardiac muscle produced the mutant rather than wild type PDK1. Consistent with this, injection of these mice with insulin only induced activation of PKB but not S6K in muscle tissues. We have also demonstrated that insulin-stimulated glucose uptake proceeds normally in knock-in mice, consistent with the notion that PKB mediates this process. In contrast to conditional knock-out of PDK1 in muscle, the knock-in mice did not develop dilated cardiomyopathy, suggesting that PKB plays a key role in protecting mice from heart failure. The third knock-in strategy that was evaluated, termed the "inversion" method, did not proceed with high efficiency. We discuss the merits and disadvantages of each of the conditional knock-in approaches, along with the applications for which they may be most suited, and suggest how they could be further refined.

LKB1-dependent signaling pathways.

This review focuses on remarkable recent findings concerning the mechanism by which the LKB1 protein kinase that is mutated in Peutz-Jeghers cancer syndrome operates as a tumor suppressor. We discuss evidence that the cellular localization and activity of LKB1 is controlled through its interaction with a catalytically inactive protein resembling a protein kinase, termed STRAD, and an armadillo repeat-containing protein, named mouse protein 25 (MO25). The data suggest that LKB1 functions as a tumor suppressor by not only inhibiting proliferation, but also by exerting profound effects on cell polarity and, most unexpectedly, on the ability of a cell to detect and respond to low cellular energy levels. Genetic and biochemical findings indicate that LKB1 exerts its effects by phosphorylating and activating 14 protein kinases, all related to the AMP-activated protein kinase. The work described in this review shows how a study of an obscure cancer syndrome can uncover new and important regulatory pathways, relevant to the understanding of multiple human diseases.

Hypomorphic mutation of PDK1 suppresses tumorigenesis in PTEN(+/-) mice.

Many cancers possess elevated levels of PtdIns(3,4,5)P(3), the second messenger that induces activation of the protein kinases PKB/Akt and S6K and thereby stimulates cell proliferation, growth, and survival. The importance of this pathway in tumorigenesis has been highlighted by the finding that PTEN, the lipid phosphatase that breaks down PtdIns(3,4,5)P(3) to PtdIns(4,5)P(2), is frequently mutated in human cancer. Cells lacking PTEN possess elevated levels of PtdIns(3,4,5)P(3), PKB, and S6K activity and heterozygous PTEN(+/-) mice develop a variety of tumors. Knockout of PKBalpha in PTEN-deficient cells reduces aggressive growth and promotes apoptosis, whereas treatment of PTEN(+/-) mice with rapamycin, an inhibitor of the activation of S6K, reduces neoplasia. We explored the importance of PDK1, the protein kinase that activates PKB and S6K, in mediating tumorigenesis caused by the deletion of PTEN. We demonstrate that reducing the expression of PDK1 in PTEN(+/-) mice, markedly protects these animals from developing a wide range of tumors. Our findings provide genetic evidence that PDK1 is a key effector in mediating neoplasia resulting from loss of PTEN and also validate PDK1 as a promising anticancer target for the prevention of tumors that possess elevated PKB and S6K activity.

The contribution of apoptosis-inducing factor, caspase-activated DNase, and inhibitor of caspase-activated DNase to the nuclear phenotype and DNA degradation during apoptosis.

We have assessed the contribution of apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF) and inhibitor of caspase-activated DNase (ICAD) to the nuclear morphology and DNA degradation pattern in staurosporine-induced apoptosis. Expression of D117E ICAD, a mutant that is resistant to caspase cleavage at residue 117, prevented low molecular weight (LMW) DNA fragmentation, stage II nuclear morphology, and detection of terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase staining. However, high molecular weight (HMW) DNA fragmentation and stage I nuclear morphology remained unaffected. On the other hand, expression of either D224E or wild type ICAD had no effect on DNA fragmentation or nuclear morphology. In addition, both HMW and LMW DNA degradation required functional executor caspases. Interestingly, silencing of endogenous AIF abolished type I nuclear morphology without any effect on HMW or LMW DNA fragmentation. Together, these results demonstrate that AIF is responsible for stage I nuclear morphology and suggest that HMW DNA degradation is a caspase-activated DNase and AIF-independent process.