Open Access

REVIEW

How is the AKT/mTOR pathway involved in cell migration and invasion?

JINGYAO XU^1,#, SHUANGLI HAO^1,#, KAIYUE HAN^1,#, WANXI YANG^1,*, HONG DENG^2,*

1 The Sperm Laboratory, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
2 Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China

* Corresponding Authors: WANXI YANG. Email: ; HONG DENG. Email:

BIOCELL 2023, 47(4), 773-788. https://doi.org/10.32604/biocell.2023.026618

Received 16 September 2022; Accepted 28 November 2022; Issue published 08 March 2023

Abstract

As a pathway that plays a role in nutrient absorption, anabolic response, cell growth and survival, the important role of AKT/mTOR in tumorigenesis has also come to light. For cancer patients, most deaths are caused by the growth of metastatic tumors outside the primary focus. Therefore, migration and invasion in the late stage of tumor progression are the main unresolved issues in the study of tumor pathogenesis, and AKT/mTOR has been found to participate in the migration and invasion of cancer cells, which means that the study of this pathway may contribute to a solution for the problem. Because of its extensive and complex functions in the organism, this pathway can be regulated by a variety of different signals in the body, and then realize its function through different downstream signal molecules. This article reviews the proteins that can indirectly affect this pathway by regulating the common upstream signaling molecules of this pathway, and the proteins that can directly affect the level of phosphorylation of AKT/mTOR in cancer cells. We also review the proteins that can co-regulate this pathway and its downstream pathways. Through this study, we hope to gain a deeper understanding of the regulatory mechanism of the AKT/mTOR pathway in cancer cells, in hopes of finding effective and harmless cancer treatment targets in the future.

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Keywords

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