The results from western blot analysis proved that the protein levels of mTOR, PI3K, and p-Akt were strikingly facilitated in A549 (Fig. 5a) and H1299 (Fig. 5b) cells under a hypoxic condition compared with that under a normoxic condition, suggesting that hypoxia activated the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway in NSCLC cells. The gene discussed is AKT1; the disease is non-small cell lung carcinoma.