Nongenomic Mechanisms of PTEN Regulation

Authors

Jimmie E. Fata, CUNY College of Staten IslandFollow
Shawon Debnath, CUNY College of Staten Island
Edmund C. Jenkins, CUNY College of Staten Island
Marcia V. Fournier, University of Massachusetts

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

March 2012

Abstract

A large amount of data supports the view that PTEN is a bona fide tumor suppressor gene. However, recent evidence suggests that derailment of cellular localization and expression levels of functional nonmutated PTEN is a determining force in inducing abnormal cellular and tissue outcomes. As the cellular mechanisms that regulate normal PTEN enzymatic activity resolve, it is evident that deregulation of these mechanisms can alter cellular processes and tissue architecture and ultimately lead to oncogenic transformation. Here we discuss PTEN ubiquitination, PTEN complex formation with components of the adherens junction, PTEN nuclear localization, and microRNA regulation of PTEN as essential regulatory mechanisms that determine PTEN function independent of gene mutations and epigenetic events.

Comments

This work was originally published in International Journal of Cell Biology, available at doi:10.1155/2012/379685.