@Article{096504017X15040166233313,
AUTHOR = {Sanae Haga, Takeaki Ozawa, Naoki Morita, Mami Asano, Shigeki Jin, Yimin, Michitaka Ozaki},
TITLE = {Photo-Activatable Akt Probe: A New Tool to Study the Akt-Dependent  Physiopathology of Cancer Cells},
JOURNAL = {Oncology Research},
VOLUME = {26},
YEAR = {2018},
NUMBER = {3},
PAGES = {467--472},
URL = {http://www.techscience.com/or/v26n3/56658},
ISSN = {1555-3906},
ABSTRACT = {Akt is commonly overexpressed and activated in cancer cells and plays a pivotal role in cell survival, protection, and chemoresistance. Therefore, Akt is one of the target molecules in understanding characters of cancer 
cells and developing anticancer drugs. Here we examined whether a newly developed photo-activatable Akt 
(PA-Akt) probe, based on a light-inducible protein interaction module of plant cryptochrome2 (CRY2) and 
cryptochrome-interacting basic helix–loop–helix (CIB1), can regulate Akt-associated cell functions. By illuminating blue light to the cells stably transfected with PA-Akt probe, CRY2-Akt (a fusion protein of CRY2 and 
Akt) underwent a structural change and interacted with Myr-CIBN (myristoylated N-terminal portion of CIB1), 
anchoring it at the cell membrane. Western blot analysis revealed that S473 and T308 of the Akt of probeAkt were sequentially phosphorylated by intermittent and continuous light illumination. Endogenous Akt and 
GSK-3b, one of the main downstream signals of Akt, were also phosphorylated, depending on light intensity. 
These facts indicate that photo-activation of probe-Akt can activate endogenous Akt and its downstream signals. The photo-activated Akt conferred protection against nutritional deprivation and H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> stresses to the cells 
significantly. Using the newly developed PA-Akt probe, endogenous Akt was activated easily, transiently, and 
repeatedly. This probe will be a unique tool in studying Akt-associated specific cellular functions in cancer cells 
and developing anticancer drugs.},
DOI = {10.3727/096504017X15040166233313}
}