Currently in Press Reginald Hill and Hong Wu PTEN, Stem Cells, and Cancer Stem Cells. J. Biol. Chem., Vol. 284, Issue 18, 11755-11759, May 1, 2009

RESEARCH INTERESTS Pten, Stem Cells, Cancer Biology PTEN is the second most frequently deleted human tumor suppressor gene. PTEN mutation also was found to be the cause of three autosomal dominant tumor predisposition syndromes. A major focus of Dr. Hong Wu's research is to study the molecular mechanism of PTEN controlled tumorigenesis. For this, she has undertaken a combination of molecular genetics, cell biology and biochemical approaches. By analyzing cells and animals lacking the PTEN tumor suppressor, Wu and her colleagues have demonstrated that PTEN negatively regulates stem cell self-renewal, proliferation and survival. Thus, their study provides a strong link between stem cell biology and cancer biology and suggests that tumors may originate through the transformation of stem cells. They also established various animal models for human cancers, including mammary and prostate cancer models. These murine cancer models offer unique tools for both exploring the molecular mechanism underlying human cancers and for the development of new therapies.