Abstract 156: Dynamic live-cell visualization and quantification of Akt activity using a genetically-encoded, fluorescent kinase translocation reporter
Authors: Rauch John N. , Foltin Susan K. , Oupicka Libuse , Dilsaver Matthew , Filonov Grigory S. , Lovell Gillian , Trigg Jasmine , Schramm Cicely L. 
Published: June 2022

Dysregulation of signal transduction pathways is associated with cancer initiation, progression, and recurrence. The PI3K/Akt signaling pathway has been extensively investigated as a therapeutic target due to its mechanistic association with several hallmarks of cancer. Studying dynamic changes in kinase activity can be difficult, and assays to measure these changes in live cells in a physiologically relevant environment are lacking. Standard approaches to monitoring Akt kinase activity are limited to end point assays which lack the ability to monitor the effects of treatments over time. Here we demonstrate the utility of the Incucyte® Kinase Akt Lentivirus Reagent, encoding a kinase translocation reporter based on a green fluorescent protein-tagged Akt substrate whose subcellular localization is phosphorylation-dependent, and a red fluorescent nuclear protein to denote the nuclear/cytoplasmic boundary. To demonstrate inhibition of Akt, A549 cells stably expressing the reporter were treated with compounds targeting the PI3K/Akt kinase pathway, including allosteric Akt inhibitors MK2206 and API-1, competitive Akt inhibitors AZD5363 and Ipatasertib, and upstream PI3K kinase inhibitors LY294002 and PI-103. Quantification of treatment responses using the Incucyte® Live Cell Analysis System showed concentration-dependent inhibition of Akt activity for all compounds with varying kinetic profiles over 24 hours. To study activation of Akt, HeLa cells were first cultured in the absence of serum to reduce Akt activity. After 4 hours of incubation in serum-free conditions, the cells were treated with either epidermal growth factor (EGF) or recombinant insulin-like growth factor (R3-IGF-1) to activate Akt. An increase in Akt activity was observed for both treatments. While R3-IGF-1-induced activation was sustained over the 12-hour time course, activation by EGF diminished over time. Cell lines with mutations in the tumor suppressor PTEN showed no response to serum starvation or activation with EGF or R3-IGF-1. In addition to monitoring Akt activity over time, the integrated red nuclear restricted protein of the reporter enables concurrent measurements of proliferation. The selective Akt inhibitor MK2206 decreased Akt activity in a similar concentration-dependent manner in both T-47D and MDA-MB-231 cell lines. In contrast, measurements of red object count from the same cells reveal differential effects of MK2206 on proliferation between the two cell lines, with concentration-dependent inhibition of T-47D cell growth but little effect on MDA-MB-231 cells. Overall, these data highlight the utility of the Incucyte® Kinase Akt Lentivirus Reagent to provide valuable kinetic measurements of Akt activity using live cells within a physiologically relevant environment.

Citation Format: John N. Rauch, Susan K. Foltin, Libuse Oupicka, Matthew Dilsaver, Grigory S. Filonov, Gillian Lovell, Jasmine Trigg, Cicely L. Schramm. Dynamic live-cell visualization and quantification of Akt activity using a genetically-encoded, fluorescent kinase translocation reporter [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2022; 2022 Apr 8-13. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(12_Suppl):Abstract nr 156.