USE OF THE P-TEN SUPPRESSOR GENE IN DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT OF CANCER

摘要

This invention provides a nucleic acid encoding P-TEN or an altered form thereof. This invention also provides a purified P-TEN or an altered form thereof. This invention further provides the above-described P-TENs, wherein the P-TEN has an altered, truncated, or deleted phosphatase domain. Further, this invention provides a method of diagnosing whether a patient has cancer which comprises detecting the presence in a suitable sample from the patient of either an altered form of P-TEN or a nucleic acid encoding an altered form of P-TEN. Further, this invention provides a method of identifying a chemical compound which may be useful as a drug for the treatment of cancer which comprises testing compounds for effects on P-TEN activity and identifying compounds which exhibit such an effect.