Regulations of Tumor Suppressor Gene PTEN and Its Potential as Therapeutic Target

Abstract

Abstract. Phosphatase and Tensin homolog deleted from chromosome ten (PTEN) is a tumor suppressor gene which is found frequently mutated or deleted in many types of human cancer. By dephosphorylating the phosphatidylinositol (3,4,5) trisphosphate (PIP3) to phosphatidylinositol (4,5) bi-phosphate (PIP2), PTEN negatively regulates of the PI3K-AKT signaling pathway and causes the inhibition of cell survival, growth, and proliferation. In tumor cells, the expression and function of PTEN are dysregulated by numerous mechanisms, including epigenetic modification, transcriptional control, microRNA (miRNA) regulation, various post-translational modifications and also direct protein-protein interaction. This review summarized the mechanisms of PTEN protein regulation, ways in which perturbations in these regulations may lead to tumorigenesis and also the potential of PTEN as a drug target.