File:Summary of the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) — protein kinase B (AKT) — mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway.png

English: Summary of the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (AKT)/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway (created with BioRender.com). The PI3K pathway is activated when receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) or G protein-coupled receptors (GPCR) bind to growth factors and lead to AKT activation. Upon activation, AKT triggers the phosphorylation of mTOR, p70S6 kinase 1 (p70S6K) and eukaryotic translation factor 4E-binding protein 1 (4EBP1), resulting in the modulation of gene transcription related to cancer aggressiveness. AKT also stimulates cell death resistance by upregulating mouse double minute 2 homolog (MDM2) and prosurvival proteins such as Bcl2 and X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein (XIAP) and downregulating Forkhead box O3 (FOXO3) and proapoptotic proteins. mTORC2 phosphorylates AKT and induces actin reorganization, resulting in cell motility.