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Updated: Jul 4, 2026
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Fluorescence Microscopy for ATP Internalization Mediated by Macropinocytosis in Human Tumor Cells and Tumor-xenografted Mice
Published on: June 30, 2021
ATP modulates PTEN subcellular localization in multiple cancer cell lines.
Glenn P Lobo1, Kristin A Waite, Sarah M Planchon
1Genomic Medicine Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, 9500 Euclid Ave, NE-50, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA.
Human Molecular Genetics
|June 27, 2008
Summary
Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) regulates the location of the tumor suppressor PTEN within cells. Lower ATP levels increase nuclear PTEN, impacting cancer development across various cell types.
Area of Science:
- Molecular Biology
- Cancer Research
- Cell Biology
Background:
- The tumor suppressor gene PTEN is crucial in breast cancer development.
- PTEN's role in regulating the PI3K/Akt pathway is known, but its nuclear functions are increasingly recognized.
- Existing mechanisms for PTEN's subcellular localization are not universally applicable across different cell types.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in regulating PTEN's subcellular localization.
- To determine if ATP-mediated regulation of PTEN localization is conserved across diverse cancer cell lines.
Main Methods:
- Utilized various cancer cell lines (breast, colon, thyroid).
- Manipulated intracellular ATP levels.
- Assessed PTEN protein levels in the nucleus under different conditions.
Main Results:
- Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) was identified as a regulator of PTEN subcellular localization.
- ATP-deficient cells exhibited increased nuclear PTEN protein.
- Supplementation with ATP, ADP, or AMP reversed the increase in nuclear PTEN.
- Non-hydrolyzable ATP analogue (ATPgammaS) did not consistently reverse nuclear PTEN levels.
Conclusions:
- ATP influences PTEN's location within the cell, affecting its function.
- This ATP-dependent regulation of PTEN localization appears to be a common mechanism across multiple cancer cell lineages.
- Findings suggest a novel, broadly applicable mechanism influencing PTEN's role in carcinogenesis.
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