AKT signaling is associated with epigenetic reprogramming via the upregulation of TET and its cofactor, alpha-ketoglutarate during iPSC generation.

Background: Phosphoinositide-3 kinase (PI3K)/AKT signaling participates in cellular proliferation, survival and tumorigenesis. The activation of AKT signaling promotes the cellular reprogramming including generation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and dedifferentiation of primordial germ cells (PGCs). Previous studies suggested that AKT promotes reprogramming by activating proliferation and glycolysis.