Screening of several key proteins controlling cell cycle, development, metabolism, apoptosis and growth, including Erk, Akt, GSK3β, p16 and p14, Bcl-2, c-Myc, Nestin and Sox2, showed that downregulation of Bmi1 reduced GSK3β protein levels and induced differentiation in cancer cells. This evidence concerns the gene AKT1 and cancer.