Akt, also referred to as PKB or Rac, plays a critical role in controlling survival and apoptosis. This protein kinase is activated by insulin and various growth and survival factors to function in a wortmannin-sensitive pathway involving PI3 kinase. Akt is activated by phospholipid binding and activation loop phosphorylation at Thr308 by PDK1 and by phosphorylation within the carboxy terminus at Ser473. The previously elusive PDK2 responsible for phosphorylation of Akt at Ser473 has been identified as mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) in a rapamycin-insensitive complex with rictor and Sin1. Akt promotes cell survival by inhibiting apoptosis through phosphorylation and inactivation of several targets, including Bad, forkhead transcription factors, c-Raf, and caspase-9. PTEN phosphatase is a major negative regulator of the PI3 kinase/Akt signaling pathway. LY294002 is a specific PI3 kinase inhibitor. Another essential Akt function is the regulation of glycogen synthesis through phosph