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Nonadherent cells switch to a Rac-mediated, SHIP regulated, Akt activation mode for survival

Oncogene volume 27, pages 1876–1885 (2008)Cite this article

Abstract

Constitutively active Rac stimulates Akt activity in T lymphocytes cultured in suspension. This regulation contrasts with findings obtained in fibroblasts, endothelial or neuronal cells grown on substrate, where Akt stimulation occurs independently of Rac. We now show that V12Rac-mediated stimulation of Akt is not restricted to the hematopoietic lineage but is dependent on the adherence status of the cell. V12Rac-mediated stimulation of Akt as well as molecular association between Rac and Akt occurred exclusively in cells kept in suspension. Stimulation and complex formation are dependent on SHIP but in a manner that differs from its role in dephosphorylation of phosphoinositide lipids. Adherent cells lacking SHIP, but not those lacking PTEN, are able to activate Akt through the Rac pathway. Our data reveal the existence of a bona fide Rac to Akt signaling pathway, tightly regulated by SHIP and operational in suspended cells only. This pathway may point to an alternative survival signal that is called into action when cells lose contact with the substrate and/or with other cells.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Dr P Parker (CRUK, London, UK), Dr P Hawkins (The Inositide Laboratory, The Babraham Institute, Cambridge, UK), Dr N Varin (U363 INSERM, Paris, France) for cell lines, and A Hall (Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, USA) for Rac encoding plasmids, Dr B Burgering (Department of Physiological Chemistry, University Medical Center, Utrecht, The Netherlands) for PTEN constructs and Dr Kurosaki (Department of Genetics, Kansai Medical University, Japan) for the SHIP-encoding plasmid.

This work was supported by INSERM, Région Aquitaine, Fondation contre la Leucémie, Ligue contre le Cancer. BC is a recipient of a fellowship from the DGA and GA from the French MERT.

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  1. European Institute of Chemistry and Biology, University of Bordeaux I, Pessac, France

    B Chaigne-Delalande, G Anies, I Kramer & E Genot

  2. INSERM, U889, Bordeaux, France

    B Chaigne-Delalande, G Anies, I Kramer & E Genot

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  1. B Chaigne-Delalande
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Correspondence to E Genot.

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Chaigne-Delalande, B., Anies, G., Kramer, I. et al. Nonadherent cells switch to a Rac-mediated, SHIP regulated, Akt activation mode for survival. Oncogene 27, 1876–1885 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.onc.1210830

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