Inibidores de Fosfatidilinositol 3-Cinase (PI3-K)

The PI 3-kinases are ubiquitous, heterodimeric enzymes that play a pivotal role in the regulation of many cellular processes, including motility, proliferation, and survival, and carbohydrate metabolism. They are dual-specificity enzymes capable of phosphorylating phosphoinositides. PI 3-kinases are divided into three classes. Class I kinases were the first to be characterized and include receptor regulated heterodimeric enzymes consisting of a 110 kDa catalytic subunit and an 85 kDa regulatory subunit (p85/p110α; p85/p110β; p101/P110γ). They can use PI, PI (4)P, and PI (4,5)P₂ as substrates in vitro. The major substrate in vivo appears to be PI(4,5)P₂. The members of this class are sensitive to wortmannin. Class II PI 3-kinases can phosphorylate PI and PI(4)P in vitro and show variable responses to wortmannin. This class of enzymes contains a C-2 domain at the C-terminal region that binds phospholipids in a Ca²⁺-dependent manner. They participate in integrin signaling in platelets. Class III PI 3-kinases include Vps34 that can phosphorylate PI(3)P. The human homologue of Vps34 is reported to be sensitive to wortmannin and participates in the regulation of endocytic membrane trafficking. Activated PI 3-kinase phosphorylates phosphoinositol (PI) substrates to produce PI(3)P, PI(3,4)P₂, and PI(3,4,5)P₃. These molecules act as second messengers and recruit the PI 3-K-dependent serine/threonine kinases (PDK1) and Akt from the cytoplasm to the plasma membrane. Lipid binding and membrane translocation lead to conformational changes in Akt, which gets phosphorylated on Thr³⁰⁸ in the activation loop, and Ser⁴⁷³ in the hydrophobic phosphorylation motif by PDK1. This dual phosphorylation causes full activation of the enzyme. Inhibitors of PI 3-kinase and over-expression of dominant negative PI 3-kinase mutants are shown to block many of the physiological responses of a cell to insulin, indicating that PI 3-kinase lies upstream of these events. PI 3-kinase signaling is crucial to many aspects of cell growth and survival and this pathway is stimulated by many growth factors. Hence, PI 3-kinase activity is tightly regulated in normal cells. Abnormal activity of PI 3-kinase is seen in several forms of cancer. About 30% of solid tumors contain mutations in the catalytic subunit of PI 3-kinase. PI 3-kinase is becoming an attractive target for drug development, particularly in the areas of cancer and other proliferative diseases as well as in the treatment of inflammatory and immunological conditions.

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