PTEN gene

PTEN refers to Phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) Protein which is encoded by the gene of a same name. This gene has been a focus of various cancer related studies. PTEN acts as a tumor suppressor gene through the action of its phosphatase protein product. This phosphatase is involved in the regulation of the cell cycle, preventing cells from growing and dividing too rapidly. Thus, a mutation in this gene would alter its function of "tumor suppressor’ that leads to development of various kinds of cancer. The corresponding PTEN protein is found in almost all tissues in the body.

The scientists have shown that the PTEN is one of the most commonly lost tumor suppressors in human cancer. During tumor development, mutations and deletions of PTEN occur that inactivate its enzymatic activity leading to increased cell proliferation and reduced cell death. The researchers found that Pten regulates a molecule called microRNA-320 (miR-320), and that the loss of Pten leads to a dramatic drop in levels of that molecule in a tumour fibroblast. With little miR-320 around, levels of a protein called ETS2 (pronounced Ets-two) rise in the fibroblast. Finally, the abundance of ETS2 activates a number of genes that cause the fibroblast to secrete more than 50 factors that stimulate the proliferation and invasiveness of nearby cancer cells.