Science Signaling Podcast: 19 March 2013

Ching-Shih Chen^1,2 and Annalisa M. VanHook³

¹ Division of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.
² Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, National Cheng-Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan.
³ Web Editor, Science Signaling, American Association for the Advancement of Science, 1200 New York Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20005, USA.

Abstract: This Podcast features an interview with Ching-Shih Chen, senior author of a Research Article that appears in the 19 March 2013 issue of Science Signaling. Huang et al. report that the α and forms of tocopherol, which is a lipophilic molecule and dietary form of vitamin E, promoted dephosphorylation of the growth-promoting kinase Akt. Tocopherols bound to both Akt and the phosphatase PHLPP1 and recruited them to the plasma membrane, where PHLPP1 dephosphorylated Akt on Ser⁴⁷³, thus inactivating Akt. This reduced the proliferation of cultured prostate cancer cells and reduced the growth of prostate tumors xenografted into mice. The authors developed a synthetic derivative of -tocopherol that exhibited greater potency than natural tocopherols in this context, suggesting that the development of drugs structurally related to tocopherols might benefit the treatment of prostate and other cancers that are driven by Akt activity.

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In Science Signaling

RESEARCH ARTICLES
Cancer
Vitamin E Facilitates the Inactivation of the Kinase Akt by the Phosphatase PHLPP1

Po-Hsien Huang, Hsiao-Ching Chuang, Chih-Chien Chou, Huiling Wang, Su-Lin Lee, Hsiao-Ching Yang, Hao-Chieh Chiu, Naval Kapuriya, Dasheng Wang, Samuel K. Kulp, and Ching-Shih Chen (19 March 2013)
Sci. Signal. 6 (267), ra19. [DOI: 10.1126/scisignal.2003816]
 |  Editor's Summary »  |  Abstract »  |  Full Text »  |  PDF »  |  Supplementary Materials »

PERSPECTIVES
Cell Biology
The Akt DUBbed InAktive

Kui Lin (8 January 2013)
Sci. Signal. 6 (257), pe1. [DOI: 10.1126/scisignal.2003864]
 |  Abstract »  |  Full Text »  |  PDF »

RESEARCH ARTICLES
Cell Biology
Cycles of Ubiquitination and Deubiquitination Critically Regulate Growth Factor–Mediated Activation of Akt Signaling

Wei-Lei Yang, Guoxiang Jin, Chien-Feng Li, Yun Seong Jeong, Asad Moten, Dazhi Xu, Zizhen Feng, Wei Chen, Zhen Cai, Bryant Darnay, Wei Gu, and Hui-Kuan Lin (8 January 2013)
Sci. Signal. 6 (257), ra3. [DOI: 10.1126/scisignal.2003197]
 |  Editor's Summary »  |  Abstract »  |  Full Text »  |  PDF »  |  Supplementary Materials »

PERSPECTIVES
Biochemistry
Uncaging Akt

Sean J. Humphrey and David E. James (8 May 2012)
Sci. Signal. 5 (223), pe20. [DOI: 10.1126/scisignal.2003085]
 |  Abstract »  |  Full Text »  |  PDF »

PERSPECTIVES
Kinases
Intracellular Signaling by Akt: Bound to Be Specific

Thomas F. Franke (17 June 2008)
Sci. Signal. 1 (24), pe29. [DOI: 10.1126/scisignal.124pe29]
 |  Abstract »  |  Full Text »  |  PDF »