PTEN takes center stage in cancer stem cell research, works as tumor suppressor.

摘要

Researchers who have been seeking a handle on what makes cancer stem cells different from normal stem cells have gotten a welcome grip on the process. A series of recently published research studies implicate the tumor suppressor PTEN as a key player in maintaining normal stem cell function.Three published studies all point to PTEN (phosphatase and tensin homologue)as a major developmental switch that both maintains normal blood cell-forming stem cells and, when mutated or missing, leads to stem cell loss, deregulation, and sometimes cancer. The research may have surprisingly near-term clinical impact because at least one study indicates that the FDA-approved drug rapamycinmay be effective in fixing damage to blood cell-forming stem cell populations caused by a loss of PTEN function.