RAS Interaction with PI3K: More Than Just Another Effector Pathway

RAS PROTEINS ARE SMALL GTPASES KNOWN FOR THEIR INVOLVEMENT IN ONCOGENESIS: around 25% of human tumors present mutations in a member of this family. RAS operates in a complex signaling network with multiple activators and effectors, which allows them to regulate many cellular functions such as cell proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis, and senescence. Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) is one of the main effector pathways of RAS, regulating cell growth, cell cycle entry, cell survival, cytoskeleton reorganization, and metabolism. However, it is the involvement of this pathway in human tumors that has attracted most attention. PI3K has proven to be necessary for RAS-induced transformation in vitro, and…