FIGURE 5.

PTEN is required for inhibition of statin-induced depletion of pAkt. In A, A549 cells were transfected with siRNA against PTEN (50 nm) for 72 h and thereafter treated with insulin (15 min) and atorvastatin as indicated. Cells were stained for pAkt Thr³⁰⁸. The diagram shows the results expressed as the relative nuclear staining intensity (mean ± S.D. (error bars) from 50 nuclei). *, significantly different from control; #, significantly different from insulin; **, significantly different from insulin and atorvastatin. p < 0.05. In B, PTEN-deficient LNCaP cells were transfected with PTEN-HA-tagged vector (24 h) and thereafter treated with insulin (1 μg/ml for 15 min) and atorvastatin (1 μm for 60 min). Samples were analyzed by Western blotting, employing antibodies for PTEN and pAkt Ser⁴⁷³. Total lysates were analyzed for Cdk2.