A research group at Peking University Health Science Center identified PTEN arginine methylation as a new type of post-translational modification of tumor-suppressive PTEN gene. The research (read full text at https://www.pnas.org/content/early/2019/03/15/1811028116), led by Prof. Yin Yuxin of Peking University Institute of Systems Biomedicine, was published on March 18 on Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS).

　　With mass-spectrometry analysis and screening of protein arginine methyltransferases (PRMTs), the authors found that PRMT6 methylated PTEN on R159. This study was also the first to suggest tumor suppressive effect of PRMT6, a finding that was consistent with big data-based clinical observation where cancer patients with high expression of PRMT6 tended to have better prognosis.

　　In addition, the study found that in PTEN-deficient glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), coordination of the expressions of mRNA splicing factors was impaired. Prof. Yin and His team will continue to look into this observation in their follow-up studies.

　　Written by: Fan Xiaofei

　　Edited by: Liu Xin

　　Source: PUHSC School of Basic Medical Sciences