Phosphatidyl-inositol 3-kinase: a key enzyme in diverse signalling processes

Phosphatidylinositol (PI) 3-kinase associates in signal-transducing complexes with activated growth factor receptors and other protein tyrosine kinases. The enzyme may also act downstream of receptors that are not tyrosine kinases in terminally differentiated cells. The recent cloning of the catalytic subunit of PI 3-kinase has revealed a structural similarity to a yeast protein important in vacuolar protein sorting. This finding provides some interesting clues to the function of PI3-kinase in diverse cellular responses.