The PTEN (phosphatase and tensin homologue deleted on chromosome 10) tumour-suppressor protein is a phosphoinositide 3-phosphatase which antagonizes phosphoinositide 3-kinase-dependent signalling by dephosphorylating PtdIns(3,4,5)P3. Most tumour-derived point mutations of PTEN induce a loss of function, which correlates with profoundly reduced catalytic activity. However, here we characterize a point mutation at the N-terminus of PTEN, K13E from a human glioblastoma, which displayed wild-type activity when assayed in vitro. This mutation occurs within a conserved polybasic motif, a putative PtdIns(4,5)P2-binding site that may participate in membrane targeting of PTEN. We found that catalytic activity against lipid substrates and vesicle binding of wild-type PTEN, but not of PTEN K13E, were greatly stimulated by anionic lipids, especially PtdIns(4,5)P2. The K13E mutation also greatly reduces the efficiency with which anionic lipids inhibit PTEN activity against soluble substrates, supporting the hypothesis that non-catalytic membrane binding orientates the active site to favour lipid substrates. Significantly, in contrast to the wild-type enzyme, PTEN K13E failed either to prevent protein kinase B/Akt phosphorylation, or inhibit cell proliferation when expressed in PTEN-null U87MG cells. The cellular functioning of K13E PTEN was recovered by targeting to the plasma membrane through inclusion of a myristoylation site. Our results establish a requirement for the conserved N-terminal motif of PTEN for correct membrane orientation, cellular activity and tumour-suppressor function.

Although PTEN (phosphatase and tensin homologue deleted on chromosome 10) is one of the most commonly mutated tumour suppressors in human cancers, loss of PTEN expression in the absence of mutation appears to occur in an even greater number of tumours. PTEN is phosphorylated in vitro on Thr366 and Ser370 by GSK3 (glycogen synthase kinase 3) and CK2 (casein kinase 2) respectively, and specific inhibitors of these kinases block these phosphorylation events in cultured cells. Although mutation of these phosphorylation sites did not alter the phosphatase activity of PTEN in vitro or in cells, blocking phosphorylation of Thr366 by either mutation or GSK3 inhibition in glioblastoma cell lines led to a stabilization of the PTEN protein. Our data support a model in which the phosphorylation of Thr366 plays a role in destabilizing the PTEN protein.

PTEN is a tumour suppressor with phosphatase activity in vitro against both lipids and proteins and other potential non-enzymatic mechanisms of action. Although the importance of PTEN’s lipid phosphatase activity in regulating the PI3K signalling pathway is recognised, the significance of PTEN’s other mechanisms of action is currently unclear. Here, we describe the systematic identification of a PTEN mutant, PTEN Y138L, with activity against lipid, but not soluble substrates. Using this mutant we provide evidence for the interfacial activation of PTEN against lipid substrates. We also show that when re-expressed at physiological levels in PTEN null U87MG glioblastoma cells the protein phosphatase activity of PTEN is not required to regulate cellular PtdInsP3 levels or the downstream protein kinase Akt/PKB. Finally, in 3D Matrigel cultures of U87MG cells similarly re-expressing PTEN mutants, both the protein and lipid phosphatase activities were required to inhibit invasion, but either activity alone significantly inhibited proliferation, albeit only weakly for the protein phosphatase activity. Our data provides a novel tool to address the significance of PTEN’s separable lipid and protein phosphatase activities and suggest that both activities act to suppress proliferation and act together to suppress invasion.

Abstract:The tumour suppressor, Phosphatase and Tensin homolog deleted on chromosome ten (PTEN), has a well characterised and important lipid phosphatase activity and a poorly characterised protein phosphatase activity. We show that both activities are required together for the regulation of cellular invasion and most of its largest effects on gene expression. PTEN appears to dephosphorylate itself at Thr366 and mutation of this site makes lipid phosphatase activity sufficient for the regulation of invasion. We propose that the dominant role for PTEN's protein phosphatase activity is autodephosphorylation-mediated regulation of its lipid phosphatase activity. Since the regulation of invasion and these large gene expression changes do not correlate with total cellular levels of its PtdInsP 3 substrate and AKT activity, we speculatively propose a role for localised PtdInsP 3 signalling in the PTEN-mediated regulation of the former processes. Finally, in identifying a tumour-derived PTEN mutant selectively lacking protein phosphatase activity, we show that in some circumstances these processes, and not AKT, can correlate with PTEN-mediated tumour suppression.3

In obesity and diabetes, the ability of hypothalamic neurons to sense and transduce changes in leptin and insulin levels is compromised. The effects of both hormones require intracellular signalling via the PI3-kinase pathway, which is inhibited by the phosphatase PTEN. We show that leptin-stimulated F-actin depolymerization in mouse hypothalamic cells is inhibited by PTEN, a process involving independent effects of both its lipid and protein phosphatase activities. Potentially mediating this F-actin depolymerization, leptin, but not insulin, stimulated the phosphorylation of PTEN in a CK2 dependent manner, and inhibited its phosphatase activity. Similarly, hyperpolarization of mouse pancreatic b-cells by leptin also requires coincident PtdIns(3,4,5)P 3 generation and actin depolymerization, and could be inhibited by mechanisms requiring both the lipid and protein phosphatase activities of PTEN. These results demonstrate a critical role for PTEN in leptin signalling and indicate a mechanism by which leptin and insulin can produce PI3K dependent differential cellular outputs.