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Review
. 2023 Aug 14;21(1):201.
doi: 10.1186/s12964-023-01225-x.

PI3K/AKT signaling pathway as a critical regulator of epithelial-mesenchymal transition in colorectal tumor cells

Amirhosein Maharati  1 , Meysam Moghbeli  2
Affiliations
Review

PI3K/AKT signaling pathway as a critical regulator of epithelial-mesenchymal transition in colorectal tumor cells

Amirhosein Maharati et al. Cell Commun Signal. .

Abstract

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most frequent gastrointestinal malignancies that are considered as a global health challenge. Despite many progresses in therapeutic methods, there is still a high rate of mortality rate among CRC patients that is associated with poor prognosis and distant metastasis. Therefore, investigating the molecular mechanisms involved in CRC metastasis can improve the prognosis. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) process is considered as one of the main molecular mechanisms involved in CRC metastasis, which can be regulated by various signaling pathways. PI3K/AKT signaling pathway has a key role in CRC cell proliferation and migration. In the present review, we discussed the role of PI3K/AKT pathway CRC metastasis through the regulation of the EMT process. It has been shown that PI3K/AKT pathway can induce the EMT process by down regulation of epithelial markers, while up regulation of mesenchymal markers and EMT-specific transcription factors that promote CRC metastasis. This review can be an effective step toward introducing the PI3K/AKT/EMT axis to predict prognosis as well as a therapeutic target among CRC patients. Video Abstract.

Keywords: Colorectal cancer; EMT; Metastasis; PI3K/AKT; Prognosis.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
PI3K/AKT/mTOR axis has a pivotal role in regulation of EMT process during CRC progression. (Created with BioRender.com)
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
PI3K/AKT/GSK-3β axis has a pivotal role in regulation of EMT process during CRC progression. (Created with BioRender.com)
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Transcription factors, chromatin remodelers, and ion binding proteins have key roles in EMT process via the regulation of PI3K/AKT pathway during CRC progression. (Created with BioRender.com)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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