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Updated: Aug 11, 2026

Defining Gene Functions in Tumorigenesis by Ex vivo Ablation of Floxed Alleles in Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumor Cells
Published on: August 25, 2021
Genetic redundancy masks diverse functions of the tumor suppressor gene PTEN during C. elegans development
1Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309, USA.
Abstract:
Genetic redundancy is associated with a large percentage of genes. We investigated PTEN (phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome 10) tumor suppressor gene functions that eluded single mutant analyses, using a Caenorhabditis elegans genome-wide screen. We show that at least 27 genes collaborate with the worm PTEN homolog daf-18 for various functions previously concealed by genetic redundancy, including embryogenesis, cuticle turnover, egg laying, and oocyte maturation. In one example, daf-18 appears to constitute a cell-autonomous germline signal that converges with a somatic gonad signal mediated by ceh-18 at a kinase inhibition. We provide evidence that daf-18 elicits some functions independent of the downstream gene daf-16.
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