Cell Signaling Technology

Product Pathways - PI3K / Akt Signaling

Phospho-Akt (Thr308) (L32A4) Mouse mAb #5106

Applications Reactivity Sensitivity MW (kDa) Isotype
W H M R Mk Endogenous 60 Mouse IgG1

Applications Key:  W=Western Blotting
Reactivity Key:  H=Human  M=Mouse  R=Rat  Mk=Monkey
Species cross-reactivity is determined by western blot. Species enclosed in parentheses are predicted to react based on 100% sequence homology.

Protocols

Specificity / Sensitivity

Phospho-Akt (Thr308) (L32A4) Mouse mAb detects endogenous levels of Akt only when phosphorylated at Thr308.

Source / Purification

Monoclonal antibody is produced by immunizing animals with a synthetic phosphopeptide corresponding to residues around Thr308 of mouse Akt.

Western Blotting

Western Blotting

Western blot analysis of extracts from NIH/3T3 and C6 cells, untreated or PDGF-treated, using Phospho-Akt (Thr308) (L32A4) Mouse mAb (upper) or Akt (pan) (11E7) Rabbit mAb #4685 (lower).

Background

Akt, also referred to as PKB or Rac, plays a critical role in controlling survival and apoptosis (1-3). This protein kinase is activated by insulin and various growth and survival factors to function in a wortmannin-sensitive pathway involving PI3 kinase (2,3). Akt is activated by phospholipid binding and activation loop phosphorylation at Thr308 by PDK1 (4) and by phosphorylation within the carboxy terminus at Ser473. The previously elusive PDK2 responsible for phosphorylation of Akt at Ser473 has been identified as mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) in a rapamycin-insensitive complex with rictor and Sin1 (5,6). Akt promotes cell survival by inhibiting apoptosis through phosphorylation and inactivation of several targets, including Bad (7), forkhead transcription factors (8), c-Raf (9), and caspase-9. PTEN phosphatase is a major negative regulator of the PI3 kinase/Akt signaling pathway (10). LY294002 is a specific PI3 kinase inhibitor (11). Another essential Akt function is the regulation of glycogen synthesis through phosphorylation and inactivation of GSK-3α and β (12,13). Akt may also play a role in insulin stimulation of glucose transport (12). In addition to its role in survival and glycogen synthesis, Akt is involved in cell cycle regulation by preventing GSK-3β-mediated phosphorylation and degradation of cyclin D1 (14) and by negatively regulating the cyclin dependent kinase inhibitors p27 Kip (15) and p21 Waf1/CIP1 (16). Akt also plays a critical role in cell growth by directly phosphorylating mTOR in a rapamycin-sensitive complex containing raptor (17). More importantly, Akt phosphorylates and inactivates tuberin (TSC2), an inhibitor of mTOR within the mTOR-raptor complex (18,19).

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  2. Burgering, B.M. and Coffer, P.J. (1995) Nature 376, 599-602.
  3. Franke, T.F. et al. (1995) Cell 81, 727-36.
  4. Alessi, D.R. et al. (1996) EMBO J 15, 6541-51.
  5. Sarbassov, D.D. et al. (2005) Science 307, 1098-101.
  6. Jacinto, E. et al. (2006) Cell 127, 125-37.
  7. Cardone, M.H. et al. (1998) Science 282, 1318-21.
  8. Brunet, A. et al. (1999) Cell 96, 857-68.
  9. Zimmermann, S. and Moelling, K. (1999) Science 286, 1741-4.
  10. Cantley, L.C. and Neel, B.G. (1999) Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 96, 4240-5.
  11. Vlahos, C.J. et al. (1994) J Biol Chem 269, 5241-8.
  12. Hajduch, E. et al. (2001) FEBS Lett 492, 199-203.
  13. Cross, D.A. et al. (1995) Nature 378, 785-9.
  14. Diehl, J.A. et al. (1998) Genes Dev 12, 3499-511.
  15. Gesbert, F. et al. (2000) J Biol Chem 275, 39223-30.
  16. Zhou, B.P. et al. (2001) Nat Cell Biol 3, 245-52.
  17. Navé, B.T. et al. (1999) Biochem J 344 Pt 2, 427-31.
  18. Inoki, K. et al. (2002) Nat Cell Biol 4, 648-57.
  19. Manning, B.D. et al. (2002) Mol Cell 10, 151-62.

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This product is intended for research purposes only. The product is not intended to be used for therapeutic or diagnostic purposes in humans or animals.

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