A Molecular Connection Between Cancer Proliferation and Metastasis Mediated by Akt Kinase

Death from cancer is most frequently caused by metastases. While research of the past 25 years has identified genes whose malfunction causes cancer to grow, it has not been clear why these defects also induce the ability to metastasize. We have defined molecules that form a connection between signals that make cancer cells grow and signals that cause them to metastasize. In breast cancer cells, a molecule called Akt kinase bridges these two functions. Here we study the exact mechanism by which Akt kinase connects mechanisms of growth with mechanisms of cancer spread. The identification of a single defined defect as responsible for growth and metastasis enhances our molecular insights into cancer and it defines candidate targets for therapeutic intervention.