AKT1 and esophageal squamous cell carcinoma: Moreover, because increased invasiveness may be conferred by EMT during which epithelial markers are usually downregulated while mesenchymal markers are upregulated, we also examined the expression levels of EMT markers including E-cadherin and N-cadherin in ESCC cells (including the I3 cells), and determined whether PI3K/AKT inhibition by LY294002 and wortmannin could reverse the EMT program.