PME Special Seminar: PTEN At A Crossroad Of Tumorigenesis And Immunogenesis

PTEN is a tumor suppressor gene frequently mutated in human cancer. PTEN mutation is highly penetrant in driving chromosome instability and cancer. We previously demonstrated that PTEN suppresses tumorigenesis by guarding multiple fundamental processes of genetic transmission, including DNA replication, chromosome segregation, and chromatin remodeling. Our recent study suggests that PTEN mutation elicits immunogenicity through a non-cell autonomous mechanism, leading to tumor inhibition and enhanced sensitivity to radiation therapy. Mechanistically, PTEN mutagenesis results in tumor-intrinsic induction of STING to trigger an immunogenic restraint on the tumor. STING acts as a synthetic essential effector, independent of cGAS and IRF3, for immunogenic control of PTEN-mutant cancers. These data help understand how the interplay of oncogenic and immunogenic signals in genetically unstable tumors dictates clinical outcome.



Hosted by: Prof. Joyce Chen    

Undergraduates are welcome to attend.