Role of phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate 3-kinase signaling in vesicular trafficking.

Phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate 3-kinases (PI3Ks) are regulatory enzymes involved in the generation of lipid species that modulate cellular signaling pathways through downstream effectors to influence a variety of cellular functions. Years of intensive study of PI3Ks have produced a significant body of literature in many areas, including that PI3K can mediate intracellular vesicular trafficking and through these actions contribute to a number of important physiological functions. This review focuses on the crucial roles that PI3K and AKT, a major downstream partner of PI3K, play in the regulation of vesicle trafficking during various forms of vesicular endocytosis and exocytosis.