The tumour suppressor PTEN is an antagonist of the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) pathway that is mutated in several cancers. Hopkins et al. identified a translational variant of PTEN, dubbed PTEN-long, that was a secreted, membrane-permeable lipid phosphatase that interacted with cell surface proteins and could enter other cells. In vitro, administration of PTEN-long antagonized PI3K signalling and it reduced tumour growth in a mouse model. The authors suggest that recombinant PTEN-long could provide therapeutic benefit by delivering functional tumour suppressor protein to cells.
References
Hopkins, B. D. et al. A secreted PTEN phosphatase that enters cells to alter signaling and survival. Science http:dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.1234907 (2013)
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Charlotte, H. A new way to restore tumour suppressor function. Nat Rev Drug Discov 12, 580 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrd4093
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrd4093