PMID- 17691943 OWN - NLM STAT- MEDLINE DCOM- 20070918 LR - 20211203 IS - 0929-8673 (Print) IS - 0929-8673 (Linking) VI - 14 IP - 19 DP - 2007 TI - Targeting the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt/mammalian target of rapamycin module for acute myelogenous leukemia therapy: from bench to bedside. PG - 2009-23 AB - The phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt (protein kinase B, PKB)/mammalian Target Of Rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway plays a critical role in many cellular functions which are elicited by extracellular stimuli. However, constitutively active PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling has also been firmly established as a major determinant for cell growth, proliferation, and survival in an wide array of human cancers. Thus, blocking the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signal transduction network could be an effective new strategy for targeted anticancer therapy. Pharmacological inhibitors of this signaling cascade are powerful antineoplastic agents in vitro and in xenografted models of tumors, and some of them are now being tested in clinical trials. Recent studies showed that PI3K/Akt/mTOR axis is frequently activated in acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) patient blasts and strongly contributes to proliferation, survival, and drug-resistance of these cells. Both the disease-free survival and overall survival are significantly shorter in AML cases with PI3K/Akt/mTOR upregulation. Therefore, this signal transduction cascade may represent a target for innovative therapeutic treatments of AML patients. In this review, we discuss the possible mechanisms of activation of this pathway in AML cells and the downstream molecular targets of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling network which are important for blocking apoptosis, enhancing proliferation, and promoting drug-resistance of leukemic cells. We also highlight several pharmacological inhibitors which have been used to block this pathway for targeted therapy of AML. These small molecules induce apoptosis or sensitize AML cells to existing drugs, and might be used in the future for improving the outcome of this hematological disorder. FAU - Martelli, A M AU - Martelli AM AD - Dipartimento di Scienze Anatomiche Umane e Fisiopatologia dell'Apparato Locomotore, Universita di Bologna, Cell Signalling Laboratory, via Irnerio 48, 40126 Bologna, Italy. amartell@biocfarm.unibo.it FAU - Tazzari, P L AU - Tazzari PL FAU - Evangelisti, C AU - Evangelisti C FAU - Chiarini, F AU - Chiarini F FAU - Blalock, W L AU - Blalock WL FAU - Billi, A M AU - Billi AM FAU - Manzoli, L AU - Manzoli L FAU - McCubrey, J A AU - McCubrey JA FAU - Cocco, L AU - Cocco L LA - eng GR - R011098195/PHS HHS/United States PT - Journal Article PT - Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural PT - Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't PT - Review PL - United Arab Emirates TA - Curr Med Chem JT - Current medicinal chemistry JID - 9440157 RN - 0 (Antibiotics, Antineoplastic) RN - 0 (Phosphoinositide-3 Kinase Inhibitors) RN - EC 2.7.- (Protein Kinases) RN - EC 2.7.1.1 (MTOR protein, human) RN - EC 2.7.11.1 (Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt) RN - EC 2.7.11.1 (TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases) RN - W36ZG6FT64 (Sirolimus) SB - IM MH - Animals MH - Antibiotics, Antineoplastic/therapeutic use MH - Apoptosis MH - Cell Cycle MH - Drug Resistance, Neoplasm MH - Humans MH - Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/drug therapy/*metabolism MH - Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases/*metabolism MH - Phosphoinositide-3 Kinase Inhibitors MH - Protein Kinases/*metabolism MH - Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/antagonists & inhibitors/*metabolism MH - Signal Transduction MH - Sirolimus/therapeutic use MH - TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases RF - 219 EDAT- 2007/08/19 09:00 MHDA- 2007/09/19 09:00 CRDT- 2007/08/19 09:00 PHST- 2007/08/19 09:00 [pubmed] PHST- 2007/09/19 09:00 [medline] PHST- 2007/08/19 09:00 [entrez] AID - 10.2174/092986707781368423 [doi] PST - ppublish SO - Curr Med Chem. 2007;14(19):2009-23. doi: 10.2174/092986707781368423.