The Role of the Dysfunctional Akt-Related Pathway in Cancer: Establishment and Maintenance of a Malignant Cell Phenotype, Resistance to Therapy, and Future Strategies for Drug Development

Figure 1

This figure illustrates the basic structure that is common among the three Akt isoforms (Akt1, Akt2, and Akt3). Each Akt isoform has three subdivisions: the Pleckstrin homology domain (PH), the catalytic kinase domain, and the C-terminal regulatory hydrophobic region (HM). In addition, the Akt activating threonine (Thr) and serine (Ser) residues are indicated in the figure. The coordinates of these two amino acid residues vary slightly among the three Akt isoforms and are listed in Table 1. The phosphorylation of these threonine and serine residues induces the activation of the Akt signaling system.