Disruption of a single Pten allele augments the chemotactic response of B lymphocytes to stromal cell-derived factor-1.

The tumor suppressor, Pten, has emerged as a critical negative regulator of phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase-dependent intracellular signaling pathways responsible for phenomena such as cellular adhesion, proliferation, and apoptosis. Herein, we present evidence that Pten regulates chemokine-dependent events in B lymphocytes. Primary B cells isolated from Pten(+/-) mice demonstrated increased responsiveness to stromal cell-derived factor-1-induced chemotaxis. This was accompanied by an elevated level of protein kinase B phosphorylation on Ser(473). Our results suggest not only that Pten may be an important regulator of stromal cell-derived factor-1-directed chemotaxis, but also that Pten heterozygosity is associated with increased cellular sensitivity to this chemokine, likely via dysregulation of events lying downstream of phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase. These observations suggest a mechanism by which loss of a single Pten allele may confer a selective advantage on cells during multistep tumor progression.