Integrating thousands of PTEN variant activity and abundance measurements reveals variant subgroups and new dominant negatives in cancers

Background PTEN is a multi-functional tumor suppressor protein regulating cell growth, immune signaling, neuronal function, and genome stability. Experimental characterization can help guide the clinical interpretation of the thousands of germline or somatic PTEN variants observed in patients. Two large-scale mutational datasets, one for PTEN variant intracellular abundance encompassing 4112 missense variants and one for lipid phosphatase activity encompassing 7244 variants, were recently published. The combined information from these datasets can reveal variant-specific phenotypes that may underlie various clinical presentations, but this has not been comprehensively examined, particularly for somatic PTEN variants observed in cancers. Methods Here, we add to these efforts by measuring the intracellular abundance of 764 new PTEN variants and refining abundance measurements for 3351 previously studied variants. We use this expanded and refined PTEN abundance dataset to explore the mutational patterns governing PTEN intracellular abundance, and then incorporate the phosphatase activity data to subdivide PTEN variants into four functionally distinct groups. Results This analysis revealed a set of highly abundant but lipid phosphatase defective variants that could act in a dominant-negative fashion to suppress PTEN activity. Two of these variants were, indeed, capable of dysregulating Akt signaling in cells harboring a WT PTEN allele. Both variants were observed in multiple breast or uterine tumors, demonstrating the disease relevance of these high abundance, inactive variants. Conclusions We show that multidimensional, large-scale variant functional data, when paired with public cancer genomics datasets and follow-up assays, can improve understanding of uncharacterized cancer-associated variants, and provide better insights into how they contribute to oncogenesis.

A PTEN variant uncouples longevity from impaired fitness in Caenorhabditis elegans with reduced insulin/IGF-1 signaling

Insulin/IGF-1 signaling (IIS) regulates various physiological aspects in numerous species. In Caenorhabditis elegans, mutations in the daf-2/insulin/IGF-1 receptor dramatically increase lifespan and immunity, but generally impair motility, growth, and reproduction. Whether these pleiotropic effects can be dissociated at a specific step in insulin/IGF-1 signaling pathway remains unknown. Through performing a mutagenesis screen, we identified a missense mutation daf-18(yh1) that alters a cysteine to tyrosine in DAF-18/PTEN phosphatase, which maintained the long lifespan and enhanced immunity, while improving the reduced motility in adult daf-2 mutants. We showed that the daf-18(yh1) mutation decreased the lipid phosphatase activity of DAF-18/PTEN, while retaining a partial protein tyrosine phosphatase activity. We found that daf-18(yh1) maintained the partial activity of DAF-16/FOXO but restricted the detrimental upregulation of SKN-1/NRF2, contributing to beneficial physiological traits in daf-2 mutants. Our work provides important insights into how one evolutionarily conserved component, PTEN, can coordinate animal health and longevity.

Lymphatic-specific intracellular modulation of receptor tyrosine kinase signaling improves lymphatic growth and function

Exogenous administration of lymphangiogenic growth factors is widely used to study changes in lymphatic function in pathophysiology. However, this approach can result in off-target effects, thereby generating conflicting data. To circumvent this issue, we modulated intracellular VEGF-C signaling by conditionally knocking out the lipid phosphatase PTEN using the Vegfr3 promoter to drive the expression of Cre-lox in lymphatic endothelial cells (LECs). PTEN is an intracellular brake that inhibits the downstream effects of the activation of VEGFR3 by VEGF-C. Activation of Cre-lox recombination in adult mice resulted in an expanded functional lymphatic network due to LEC proliferation that was independent of lymphangiogenic growth factor production. Furthermore, compared with lymphangiogenesis induced by VEGF-C injection, LECPTEN animals had mature, nonleaky lymphatics with intact cell-cell junctions and reduced local tissue inflammation. Last, compared with wild-type or VEGF-C–injected mice, LECPTEN animals had an improved capacity to resolve inflammatory responses. Our findings indicate that intracellular modulation of lymphangiogenesis is effective in inducing functional lymphatic networks and has no off-target inflammatory effects.

A Conserved MTMR Lipid Phosphatase Increasingly Suppresses Autophagy in Brain Neurons During Aging

Aging is driven by the progressive, lifelong accumulation of cellular damage. Autophagy (cellular self-eating) functions as a major cell clearance mechanism to degrade such damages, and its capacity declines with age. Despite its physiological and medical significance, it remains largely unknown why autophagy becomes incapable of effectively eliminating harmful cellular materials at advanced ages. Here we show that age-associated defects in autophagic degradation occur at both early and late stages of the process. Furthermore, in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, the myotubularin-related (MTMR) lipid phosphatase EDTP (egg-derived tyrosine phosphatase) known as an autophagy repressor gradually accumulates in brain neurons during the adult life span. The age-related increase in EDTP activity is associated with a growing DNA N6-adenine methylation at EDTP locus. MTMR14, the human counterpart of EDTP, also tends to accumulate with age in brain neurons. Thus, EDTP, and presumably MTMR14, promotes brain aging by increasingly suppressing autophagy throughout adulthood. We propose that EDTP and MTMR14 phosphatases operate as endogenous pro-aging factors setting the rate at which neurons age largely independently of environmental factors, and that autophagy is influenced by DNA N6-methyladenine levels.

Phosphatase and Tensin Homolog in Non-neoplastic Digestive Disease: More Than Just Tumor Suppressor

The Phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) gene is one of the most important tumor suppressor genes, which acts through its unique protein phosphatase and lipid phosphatase activity. PTEN protein is widely distributed and exhibits complex biological functions and regulatory modes. It is involved in the regulation of cell morphology, proliferation, differentiation, adhesion, and migration through a variety of signaling pathways. The role of PTEN in malignant tumors of the digestive system is well documented. Recent studies have indicated that PTEN may be closely related to many other benign processes in digestive organs. Emerging evidence suggests that PTEN is a potential therapeutic target in the context of several non-neoplastic diseases of the digestive tract. The recent discovery of PTEN isoforms is expected to help unravel more biological effects of PTEN in non-neoplastic digestive diseases.

Functional Characterization Of The VAC14 Self-Interaction Domain

PtdIns(3,5)P2 is a low-abundance signaling lipid present at < 0.1 % of total PtdIns lipids in yeasts and mammals. Reduced levels of PtdIns(3,5)P2 contributes to neurodegenerative disorders in humans and vacuolar defects in yeasts. Steady-state levels of PtdIns(3,5)P2 are dependent on both its rate of synthesis and turnover. In yeast, PtdIns(3,5)P2 is produced on the vacuole membrane by phosphorylation of PtdIns(3)P at the 5 position of its inositol ring by the Fab1 lipid kinase. Cells lacking Fab1 make no PtdIns(3,5)P2 and exhibit defects in vacuole morphology and function. The lipid phosphatase Fig4 counteracts Fab1 activity by turnover of PtdIns(3,5)P2 into PtdIns(3)P. Vac14 is a regulatory protein implicated in the synthesis and turnover of PtdIns(3,5)P2. It acts as an adaptor protein that controls both of Fab1 and Fig4 proteins. In addition, Vac14 exists as a multimer that allows for self-interaction. However, multimerization state of Vac14 as well as the domain responsible for self-interaction remained unknown. This study aimed to identify the self-interaction domain to elucidate its role in the assembly of the regulatory complex of PtdIns(3,5)P2. The observations seen in this study suggested that Vac14 self-interacts via multiple conserved motifs in the C-terminus, which are crucial for interaction with Fab1 and Fig4, and the normal morphology of yeast vacuoles.

Functional Characterization Of The VAC14 Self-Interaction Domain

PtdIns(3,5)P2 is a low-abundance signaling lipid present at < 0.1 % of total PtdIns lipids in yeasts and mammals. Reduced levels of PtdIns(3,5)P2 contributes to neurodegenerative disorders in humans and vacuolar defects in yeasts. Steady-state levels of PtdIns(3,5)P2 are dependent on both its rate of synthesis and turnover. In yeast, PtdIns(3,5)P2 is produced on the vacuole membrane by phosphorylation of PtdIns(3)P at the 5 position of its inositol ring by the Fab1 lipid kinase. Cells lacking Fab1 make no PtdIns(3,5)P2 and exhibit defects in vacuole morphology and function. The lipid phosphatase Fig4 counteracts Fab1 activity by turnover of PtdIns(3,5)P2 into PtdIns(3)P. Vac14 is a regulatory protein implicated in the synthesis and turnover of PtdIns(3,5)P2. It acts as an adaptor protein that controls both of Fab1 and Fig4 proteins. In addition, Vac14 exists as a multimer that allows for self-interaction. However, multimerization state of Vac14 as well as the domain responsible for self-interaction remained unknown. This study aimed to identify the self-interaction domain to elucidate its role in the assembly of the regulatory complex of PtdIns(3,5)P2. The observations seen in this study suggested that Vac14 self-interacts via multiple conserved motifs in the C-terminus, which are crucial for interaction with Fab1 and Fig4, and the normal morphology of yeast vacuoles.

Characterization of the Regulation and Function of Phosphatidylinositol 3,5-Bisphosphate

PtdIns(3,5)P2 is a low abundance phosphoinositide that is involved in a variety of cellular processes. Most notably, PtdIns(3,5)P2 is known to regulate vacuolar/lysosomal morphology. Deficiency in PtdIns(3,5)P2 results in enlargement of the yeast vacuole and, an extensive vacuolation of the late endocytic compartments in higher eukaryotes (1, 2). In addition, PtdIns(3,5)P2 is also involved in cellular functions including membrane trafficking, autophagy, and vacuolar/lysosomal acidification. However, the current study provided evidence that shows that the vacuole/lysosomes of PtdIns(3,5)P2-deficient cells remain acidic. Hence, PtdIns(3,5)P2 may not have a role in steady-state vacuolar/lysosomal acidification. PtdIns(3,5)P2 is synthesized by the Fab1 lipid kinase and degraded by the antagonistic Fig4 lipid phosphatase. Vac14, an adaptor protein, is known to interact with both Fab1 and Fig4 to form a complex on the vacuolar membrane. This study demonstrated that Vac14 is required to form a homodimer for its interaction with Fig4 and Fab1. In addition, formation of the homodimer is necessary for regulation of PtdIns(3,5)P2. Mutations in human Vac14 and Fig4 has been identified in patients with neurodegenerative diseases, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and Charcot-Marie-Tooth Type 4J (3, 4). This study provides an important stepping stone in characterizing the regulatory mechanism and understanding the function of PtdIns(3,5)P2

Characterization of the Regulation and Function of Phosphatidylinositol 3,5-Bisphosphate

PtdIns(3,5)P2 is a low abundance phosphoinositide that is involved in a variety of cellular processes. Most notably, PtdIns(3,5)P2 is known to regulate vacuolar/lysosomal morphology. Deficiency in PtdIns(3,5)P2 results in enlargement of the yeast vacuole and, an extensive vacuolation of the late endocytic compartments in higher eukaryotes (1, 2). In addition, PtdIns(3,5)P2 is also involved in cellular functions including membrane trafficking, autophagy, and vacuolar/lysosomal acidification. However, the current study provided evidence that shows that the vacuole/lysosomes of PtdIns(3,5)P2-deficient cells remain acidic. Hence, PtdIns(3,5)P2 may not have a role in steady-state vacuolar/lysosomal acidification. PtdIns(3,5)P2 is synthesized by the Fab1 lipid kinase and degraded by the antagonistic Fig4 lipid phosphatase. Vac14, an adaptor protein, is known to interact with both Fab1 and Fig4 to form a complex on the vacuolar membrane. This study demonstrated that Vac14 is required to form a homodimer for its interaction with Fig4 and Fab1. In addition, formation of the homodimer is necessary for regulation of PtdIns(3,5)P2. Mutations in human Vac14 and Fig4 has been identified in patients with neurodegenerative diseases, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and Charcot-Marie-Tooth Type 4J (3, 4). This study provides an important stepping stone in characterizing the regulatory mechanism and understanding the function of PtdIns(3,5)P2