PTEN-PDZ domain interactions: Binding of PTEN to PDZ domains of PTPN13

Protein modular interactions mediated by PDZ domains are essential for the establishment of functional protein networks controlling diverse cellular functions. The tumor suppressor PTEN possesses a C-terminal PDZ-binding motif (PDZ-BM) that is recognized by a specific set of PDZ domains from scaffolding and regulatory proteins. Here, we review the current knowledge on PTEN-PDZ domain interactions and tumor suppressor networks, describe methodology suitable to analyze these interactions, and report the binding of PTEN and the PDZ domain-containing protein tyrosine phosphatase PTPN13. Yeast two-hybrid and GST pull-down analyses showed that PTEN binds to PDZ2/PTPN13 domain in a manner that depends on the specific PTPN13 PDZ domain arrangement involving the interdomain region between PDZ1 and PDZ2. Furthermore, a specific binding profile of PTEN to PDZ2/PTPN13 domain was observed by mutational analysis of the PTEN PDZ-BM. Our results disclose a PDZ-mediated physical interaction of PTEN and PTPN13 with potential relevance in tumor suppression and cell homeostasis.