REVIEW

Cell Research (2008): 807-816
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PTEN: a default gate-keeping tumor suppressor with a versatile tail

Xinjiang Wang and Xuejun Jiang

Correspondence: Xuejun Jiang Tel: +1-212-639-6814 E-mail: jiangx@mskcc.org

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The tumor suppressor PTEN controls a variety of biological processes including cell proliferation, growth, migration, and death. As a master cellular regulator, PTEN itself is also subjected to deliberated regulation to ensure its proper function. Defects in PTEN regulation have a profound impact on carcinogenesis. In this review, we briefly discuss recent advances concerning PTEN regulation and how such knowledge facilitates our understanding and further exploration of PTEN biology. The carboxyl-tail of PTEN, which appears to be associated with multiple types of posttranslational regulation, will be under detailed scrutiny. Further, a comparative analysis of PTEN and p53 suggests while p53 needs to be activated to suppress tumorigenesis (a dormant gatekeeper), PTEN is probably a constitutive surveillant against cancer development, thus a default gatekeeper.

Cell Research (2008) 18:807–816. doi: 10.1038/cr.2008.83; published online 15 July 2008

Keywords: PTEN, tumor suppressor, posttranslational regulation, ubiquitination, p53