PTEN and breast carcinoma: In the present study, the β-glu6, a β-(1→6)-branched β-(1→3) glucohexaose analog contains an α-(1→3)-linked bond, diminished the phosphorylation of Akt at Thr-308, GSK-3β ( a AKt kinase substrate) at Ser9 and the phosphorylation of PDK1( which transduces signals from PI3K to Akt), but activated the phosphorylation of PTEN (which opposes PI3K function, leading to inactivation of AKT), which are consistent with the effects of Phellinus linteus extracts on human breast cancer cells [31].