AKT1 and neuroblastoma: To investigate the connection between CHL1 and apoptosis in NB cells, we evaluated the activation state of RAC-alpha serine-threonine-protein kinase (Akt), the major downstream effector of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K), in turn activated by Rac and Cdc42 GTPases, and strictly involved in cell growth and survival [24].