The Role of PI3K/AKT/Mtor Signalling in Pluripotency and Cell Fate
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
© 2016. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd | Development (2016) 143, 3050-3060 doi:10.1242/dev.137075 REVIEW Proliferation, survival and metabolism: the role of PI3K/AKT/ mTOR signalling in pluripotency and cell fate determination Jason S. L. Yu and Wei Cui* ABSTRACT The embryonic lethality that results from disruption of PI3K/ Phosphatidylinositide 3 kinases (PI3Ks) and their downstream AKT/mTOR signalling hinders the interrogation of this pathway mediators AKT and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) during differentiation through traditional developmental models. constitute the core components of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signalling Derivation of pluripotent stem cells (PSCs), including embryonic cascade, regulating cell proliferation, survival and metabolism. stem cells (ESCs) and induced PSCs (iPSCs), has mitigated this Although these functions are well-defined in the context of problem to some extent. These cells can undergo self-renewal tumorigenesis, recent studies – in particular those using pluripotent indefinitely, and can also give rise to all the cells of the adult stem cells – have highlighted the importance of this pathway to organism, providing researchers with a unique cell-based model to development and cellular differentiation. Here, we review the recent interrogate cellular differentiation. This, coupled with increasingly in vitro and in vivo evidence for the role PI3K/AKT/mTOR signalling defined culture conditions and better tools for genetic manipulation, plays in the control of pluripotency and differentiation, with a particular has allowed researchers to overcome the technically challenging focus on the molecular mechanisms underlying these functions. interrogation of the molecular basis for crosstalk interactions. As a result, recent studies have begun to delineate the contribution of KEY WORDS: PI3K, AKT, mTOR, Pluripotency, Proliferation and PI3K/AKT/mTOR signalling in preserving the ability of PSCs to differentiation, Metabolism self-renew and differentiate (Paling et al., 2004; Zhou et al., 2009; Singh et al., 2012; Yu et al., 2015), and it has become apparent that Introduction this signalling pathway is crucial for embryonic development and is During development, cellular differentiation is a crucial process by indispensable for the self-renewal of PSCs. In this Review, we which all major tissues of the adult organism are formed. This is discuss the functions of this pathway during embryonic development governed by the spatial and temporal activation of signalling and in cell fate determination of PSCs, with a particular focus on the pathways, classically demonstrated through gain- and loss-of- putative molecular mechanisms underlying these functions. function studies performed in developmental models, such as zebrafish, Xenopus and mice. Genetic manipulation of signalling PI3K/AKT/mTOR signalling components induces defects in either specific tissues or PI3Ks are a unique family of intracellular lipid kinases that developmental stages, thus implying that distinct pathways specify phosphorylate the 3′-hydroxyl group of the inositol ring of particular lineages. However, it is increasingly evident that this is a phosphatidylinositides (PtdIns) and are divided into three classes. gross oversimplification, given that signalling pathways do not operate The most studied is class I PI3K (Fig. 1), which stimulates the in isolation, but participate in a myriad of crosstalk interactions that conversion of membrane-bound phosphatidylinositol-(4,5)- cumulatively determine cell fate. Therefore, even pathways that do not bisphosphate [PtdIns(4,5)P2; PIP2] to phosphatidylinositol-(3,4,5)- appear to specify a lineage independently may act to augment or trisphosphate [PtdIns(3,4,5)P3; PIP3] (Vanhaesebroeck et al., 2010; inhibit pathways that are essential for lineage specification. However, Thorpe et al., 2015). PIP3 acts as a secondary messenger, facilitating the inherent complexity and redundant nature of signalling makes the the recruitment and activation of kinases that possess the pleckstrin molecular dissection of such crosstalk events difficult. homology (PH) domain, such as PI3K-dependent kinase-1 (PDK1). PI3K/AKT/mTOR signalling contributes to a variety of processes The signalling duration of PIP3 is subject to regulation by that are critical in mediating many aspects of cellular function, phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN), which acts to oppose including nutrient uptake, anabolic reactions, cell growth and PI3K activity. The serine/threonine kinase AKT, also known as survival. The core components of the pathway, namely protein kinase B (PKB), possesses a PH domain, and is recruited to phosphatidylinositide 3-kinases (PI3Ks), AKT and mammalian the plasma membrane along with PDK1. Phosphorylation of amino target of rapamycin (mTOR, also known as mechanistic TOR), have acid residues T308 and S473 by PDK1 and mTORC2, respectively, been shown to be frequently hyperactivated in the majority of is essential for full AKT activation. Following activation, AKT can cancers and have therefore been the focus of many studies in this phosphorylate many target proteins, most notably glycogen field (Vanhaesebroeck et al., 2010; Thorpe et al., 2015). By contrast, synthase kinase 3 (GSK3), tuberous sclerosis 2 (TSC2), caspase 9 the importance of this pathway in development is understated, even and PRAS40 (AKT1S1), which explains its relatively wide though loss any of the core components often results in embryonic spectrum of downstream effects in promoting cell proliferation, lethality (Bi et al., 1999; Peng et al., 2003; Murakami et al., 2004). differentiation, apoptosis, angiogenesis and metabolism. mTOR is an evolutionarily conserved serine/threonine protein Institute of Reproductive and Developmental Biology, Department of Surgery and kinase that belongs to the PI3K-related kinase family (PIKK). The Cancer, Imperial College London, Du Cane Road, London W12 0NN, UK. accessibility of the mTOR active site is governed in part by mTOR- associated proteins that form two distinct complexes: mTOR *Author for correspondence ([email protected]) complex 1 (mTORC1) and 2 (mTORC2). These complexes differ J.S.L.Y., 0000-0001-5203-3603; W.C., 0000-0003-2019-380X in their composition, mode of activation and rapamycin sensitivity DEVELOPMENT 3050 REVIEW Development (2016) 143, 3050-3060 doi:10.1242/dev.137075 PIP2 PIP3 PIP2 Box 1. Regulation of mTOR complexes P P RTK P P Cell membrane P P P mTORC1 PTEN Activation of mTORC1 is regulated by multiple intracellular and P P PI3K extracellular cues, involving both RAG and RHEB (Ras homolog PDK1 T308 mLST8 enriched in brain) guanosine triphosphatases (GTPases). RAG S473 P P GTPase exists as a heterodimer of RAGA/B (RRAGA/B) with RAGC/D PKB/AKT mTORT DEPTOR mSIN1 (RRAGC/D) and is anchored to the lysosome by the Ragulator complex RICTOR P (Bar-Peled et al., 2012). RAG GTPase is activated by the presence of GSK3 mTORC2 P nutrients (e.g. amino acids) through the combined action of the amino TSC2 TSC1 acid transporter SLC38A9 (Rebsamen et al., 2015; Wang et al., 2015) P P mLST8 SGK1 PKC and the Ragulator complex as a guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF), along with other proteins, which recruit mTORC1 to the lysosome mTOR DEPTOR RHEB surface where it encounters RHEB. The activation of RHEB is negatively PRAS40 RAPTOR controlled by tuberous sclerosis 1 and 2 (TSC1/2). Notably, many mTORC1 upstream signalling inputs regulate mTORC1 via phosphorylation of TSC1/2. For example, growth factor-induced PI3K/AKT inactivates P P TSC2 by phosphorylation of S939/T1462, resulting in the activation of S6K1/2 P 4E-BP1 ULK1 RHEB and therefore mTORC1. Conversely, energy deficiency-activated P adenosine monophosphate protein kinase (AMPK; PRKA) triggers the S6 EIF4E phosphorylation of TSC2-T1227/S1387, enhancing TSC1/2 activity and inhibiting mTORC1. Recently, arginine has been shown to activate Fig. 1. Schematic of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signalling cascade and its main mTORC1 via a RAG GTPase-independent mechanism (Carroll et al., downstream effectors. Upon growth factor stimulation (yellow diamond), 2016). active PI3K phosphorylates phosphatidylinositol (4,5)-bisphosphate (PIP2)to mTORC2 phosphatidylinositol (3,4,5)-triphosphate (PIP3), which then recruits AKT and In contrast to mTORC1, the factors and regulative processes driving permits phosphorylation of T308 and S473 through PDK1 and mTORC2, mTORC2 activation remain relatively understudied. So far, only PI3K respectively. Activated AKT inhibits GSK3 and TSC2 via phosphorylation, stimulation has been shown to promote mTORC2 activation in inactive TSC1/2 is unable to bind RAS homolog enriched in brain (RHEB), association with the mSIN1 PH domain and the ribosome (Liu et al., which subsequently enables its activation of mTORC1 at the surface of 2015; Zinzalla et al., 2011). The exact molecular details await further lysosome, initiating its effect on many downstream proteins, including S6K, elucidation. 4E-BP1 and ULK1. Active mTORC2 can regulate several AGC kinases, such as SGK1 and PKC, in addition to AKT. ‘P’ in a green circle indicates activating phosphorylation, in a red circle inhibitory phosphorylation and in a brown circle particularly in the context of embryonic development. Nonetheless, phosphorylation that is not induced by this signalling cascade. genetic manipulation of key components by way of gene knockout has ascertained their importance in driving organismal growth and (Yang et al., 2013; Liu et al., 2015). Although mTOR in both tissue