PTEN is a tumor suppressor gene that is frequently deleted or mutated in a variety of human cancers, including prostate, breast, endometrial, lung, and ovarian cancers.  In prostate cancer cells, PTEN deletion is the most common event observed.  The loss of PTEN is thought to play and important role in tumor cell proliferation and metastasis due to a lack of control of the signaling pathways that mediate cellular processes such as apoptosis and migration.  Previously PTEN had been shown to down regulate cyclin D1 expression as well as regulate p53 protein levels and transcriptional activity, and recently the inventors of this technology have shown that PTEN decreases surface IGF-IR protein levels in prostate cancer cell lines in an Akt-independent manner.

PC3 cells are prostate cancer cells that lack PTEN gene. This technology describes PC3 cells that overexpress the PTEN gene. These cell lines can be used to study the role of the PTEN gene in cancer growth and metastasis.

Publication:

H Zhao et al. PTEN inhibits cell proliferation and induces apoptosis by downregulating cell surface IGF-IR expression in prostate cancer cells. Oncogene 2004 Jan 22;23(3):786-794.  [PubMed abs]

HHS Reference No. E-292-2008/0 – Research Tool.  Patent protection is not being pursued for this technology.

Inventors:

Derek LeRoith and Michael Quon (NIDDK)

Licensees Sought:

Available for licensing.