TY - JOUR T1 - The Effect of PTEN on Serotonin Synthesis and Secretion from the Carcinoid Cell Line BON JF - Anticancer Research JO - Anticancer Res SP - 1153 LP - 1160 VL - 31 IS - 4 AU - SCOTT R. SILVA AU - YEKATERINA Y. ZAYTSEVA AU - LINDSEY N. JACKSON AU - EUN Y. LEE AU - HEIDI L. WEISS AU - KANIKA A. BOWEN AU - COURTNEY M. TOWNSEND, JR. AU - B. MARK EVERS Y1 - 2011/04/01 UR - http://ar.iiarjournals.org/content/31/4/1153.abstract N2 - Background: Carcinoid tumors are associated with the carcinoid syndrome, a set of symptoms resulting from the peptide and amine products, including serotonin, secreted from the cancer cells. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase/protein kinase B (PI3K/Akt) inhibitor PTEN (phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome ten) and serotonin synthesis and secretion in the carcinoid cancer cell line BON. Materials and Methods: PTEN was inhibited by pharmacological and molecular approaches, and the resultant secretion of serotonin and expression of tryptophan hydroxylase 1 (TPH1), the rate-limiting enzyme in serotonin synthesis, was assessed. Results: Inhibition of PTEN in vitro, with concomitant increased Akt signaling, resulted in decreased secretion of serotonin, as well as decreased serotonin synthesis, as confirmed by reduced expression of TPH1. Inhibition of PTEN in BON cells in an animal model resulted in decreased serum serotonin. Conclusion: By inhibiting signaling through Akt, PTEN indirectly promotes serotonin synthesis and secretion. ER -