The PI3K/Akt pathway is present and functional in the preimplantation mouse embryo

The PI3K/Akt signal transduction pathway is a well-known mediator of growth promoting and cell survival signals. While the expression and function of this pathway have been documented during early and late stages of the reproductive process, currently, there is no evidence demonstrating either the presence or function of the PI3K/Akt pathway in murine preimplantation embryos. We found, using confocal immunofluorescent microscopy and Western blot analysis, that the p85 and p110 subunits of PI3K and Akt are expressed from the 1-cell through the blastocyst stage of murine preimplantation embryo development. These proteins were localized predominantly at the cell surface from the 1-cell through the morula stage. At a blastocyst stage, both PI3K and Akt exhibited an apical staining pattern in the trophectoderm cells. Interestingly, phosphorylated Akt was detected throughout murine preimplantation development, and its presence at the plasma membrane is a reflection of its activation status. Inhibition of Akt activity had significant effects on the normal physiology of the blastocyst. Specifically, inhibition of this pathway resulted in a reduction in insulin-stimulated glucose uptake. In addition, inhibiting Akt activity resulted in a significant delay in blastocyst hatching, a developmental step facilitating implantation. Finally, we established the presence of this pathway in trophoblast stem (TS) cells, a potentially useful in vitro model to study this signaling cascade. Taken together, these data are the first to demonstrate the presence and function of the PI3K/Akt pathway in mammalian preimplantation embryos.