PTEN is a tumor suppressor with sequence homology to protein tyrosine phosphatases and the cytoskeletal protein tensin. mPTEN-mutant mouse embryos display regions of increased proliferation. In contrast, mPTEN-deficient immortalized mouse embryonic fibroblasts exhibit decreased sensitivity to cell death in response to a number of apoptotic stimuli, accompanied by constitutively elevated activity and phosphorylation of protein kinase B/Akt, a crucial regulator of cell survival. Expression of exogenous PTEN in mutant cells restores both their sensitivity to agonist-induced apoptosis and normal pattern of PKB/Akt phosphorylation. Furthermore, PTEN negatively regulates intracellular levels of phosphatidylinositol (3,4,5) trisphosphate in cells and dephosphorylates it in vitro. Our results show that PTEN may exert its role as a tumor suppressor by negatively regulating the PI3'K/PKB/Akt signaling pathway.

Li+ acts as a specific inhibitor of the GSK-3 family of protein kinases in vitro and in intact cells, and mimics Wingless signalling. This reveals a possible molecular mechanism of Li+ action on development and differentiation.

PTEN tumor suppressor is frequently mutated in human cancers and is a negative regulator of PI3'K/PKB/Akt-dependent cellular survival. Investigation of the human genomic PTEN locus revealed a p53 binding element directly upstream of the PTEN gene. Deletion and mutation analyses showed that this element is necessary for inducible transactivation of PTEN by p53. A p53-independent element controlling constitutive expression of PTEN was also identified. In contrast to p53 mutant cell lines, induction of p53 in primary and tumor cell lines with wild-type p53 increased PTEN mRNA levels. PTEN was required for p53-mediated apoptosis in immortalized mouse embryonic fibroblasts. Our results reveal a unique role for p53 in regulation of cellular survival and an interesting connection in tumor suppressor signaling.

The mPTEN gene is fundamental for embryonic development in mice, as mPTEN3-5 mutant embryos died by day 9.5 of gestation, with patterning defects in cephalic and caudal regions and defective placentation. Heterozygous mice developed lymphomas associated with loss of heterozygosity of the wild-type mPTEN allele, and tumor appearance was accelerated by gamma-irradiation. These lymphomas had high levels of activated Akt/PKB, the protein product of a murine proto-oncogene with anti-apoptotic function, associated with thymic lymphomas. This suggests that tumors associated with mPTEN loss of heterozygosity may arise as a consequence of an acquired survival advantage. We provide direct evidence of the role of mPTEN as a tumor suppressor gene in mice, and establish the mPTEN mutant mouse as an experimental model for investigating the role of PTEN in cancer progression.

Initially identified in high-grade gliomas, mutations in the PTEN tumor-suppressor are also found in many sporadic cancers and a few related autosomal dominant hamartoma syndromes. PTEN is a 3'-specific phosphatidylinositol-3,4,5-trisphosphate (PI(3,4,5)P3) phosphatase and functions as a negative regulator of PI3K signaling. We generated a tissue-specific deletion of the mouse homolog Pten to address its role in brain function. Mice homozygous for this deletion (PtenloxP/loxP;Gfap-cre), developed seizures and ataxia by 9 wk and died by 29 wk. Histological analysis showed brain enlargement in PtenloxP/loxP;Gfap-cre mice as a consequence of primary granule-cell dysplasia in the cerebellum and dentate gyrus. Pten mutant cells showed a cell-autonomous increase in soma size and elevated phosphorylation of Akt. These data represent the first evidence for the role of Pten and Akt in cell size regulation in mammals and provide an animal model for a human phakomatosis condition, Lhermitte-Duclos disease (LDD).

Glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3), a protein-serine kinase implicated in cell-fate determination and differentiation, phosphorylates several regulatory proteins that are activated by dephosphorylation in response to hormones or growth factors. GSK-3 beta is phosphorylated in vitro at serine 9 by p70 S6 kinase and p90rsk-1, resulting in its inhibition [Sutherland, Leighton, and Cohen (1993) Biochem. J. 296, 15-19]. Using HeLa cells expressing GSK-3 beta or a mutant containing alanine at residue 9, we demonstrate that serine 9 is modified in intact cells and is targeted specifically by p90rsk-1, and that phosphorylation leads to loss of activity. Since p90rsk-1 is directly activated by mitogen-activated protein kinases, agonists of this pathway, such as insulin, repress GSK-3 function.

Loss of function of the Phosphatase and tensin homologue deleted on chromosome 10 (PTEN) tumor suppressor gene is associated with many human cancers. In the cytoplasm, PTEN antagonizes the Phosphatidylinositol 3′ kinase (PI3K) signaling pathway. PTEN also accumulates in the nucleus, where its function remains poorly understood. We demonstrate that SUMOylation (SUMO) of PTEN controls its nuclear localization. In cells exposed to genotoxic stress, SUMO-PTEN was rapidly excluded from the nucleus dependent on the protein kinase Ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM). Cells lacking nuclear PTEN were hypersensitive to DNA damage, while PTEN-deficient cells were susceptible to killing by a combination of genotoxic stress and a small molecule PI3K inhibitor both in vitro and in vivo. Our findings may have implications for individualized therapy for patients with PTEN-deficient tumors.

Phagocytosis is a highly localized and rapid event, requiring the generation of spatially and temporally restricted signals. Because phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) plays an important role in the innate immune response, we studied the generation and distribution of 3′ phosphoinositides (3′PIs) in macrophages during the course of phagocytosis. The presence of 3′PI was monitored noninvasively in cells transfected with chimeras of green fluorescent protein and the pleckstrin homology domain of either Akt, Btk, or Gab1. Although virtually undetectable in unstimulated cells, 3′PI rapidly accumulated at sites of phagocytosis. This accumulation was sharply restricted to the phagosomal cup, with little 3′PI detectable in the immediately adjacent areas of the plasmalemma. Measurements of fluorescence recovery after photobleaching were made to estimate the mobility of lipids in the cytosolic monolayer of the phagosomal membrane. Stimulation of phagocytic receptors induced a marked reduction of lipid mobility that likely contributes to the restricted distribution of 3′PI at the cup. 3′PI accumulation during phagocytosis was transient, terminating shortly after sealing of the phagosomal vacuole. Two factors contribute to the rapid disappearance of 3′PI: the dissociation of the type I PI3K from the phagosomal membrane and the persistent accumulation of phosphoinositide phosphatases.