Gene

Phosphorylation

Cancer

Ubiquitin ligase

Phosphatase

Suppressor

Chemistry

Apoptosis

Ubiquitin

PTEN

Tumor suppressor gene

Cancer research

Genetics

Biochemistry

Carcinogenesis

PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway

Biology

Science

Supporting tumor suppression The protein PTEN is a phosphatase and tumor suppressor whose activity is often decreased in human cancers. Thus, reactivating such a protein could potentially be an effective therapy against cancer. Lee et al. identified a ubiquitin E3 ligase (WWP1) as a PTEN-interacting protein that modifies PTEN and inhibits its tumor suppressive activity (see the Perspective by Parsons). Depletion of WWP1 increased dimerization and membrane recruitment of PTEN. A natural compound found to be a pharmacological inhibitor of WWP1 inhibited tumor growth in a mouse model of prostate cancer. Thus, reactivation of the tumor suppressor PTEN may provide a strategy for battling tumors. Science , this issue p. eaau0159 ; see also p. 633

Reactivation of PTEN tumor suppressor for cancer treatment through inhibition of a MYC-WWP1 inhibitory pathway