Where PI3K/Akt Meets Smads: The Crosstalk Determines Human Embryonic Stem Cell Fate

Coordinated interactions between signaling networks govern the balance of cell fate decisions in human embryonic stem cells. In this issue, Singh et al. (2012) report that PI3K/Akt signaling switches Activin/Smad activity between pro-self-renewal and prodifferentiation by regulating ERK and GSK3 beta/beta-catenin signaling.