Reduction of Pten dose leads to neoplastic development in multiple organs of Pten (shRNA) mice.

To address the impact of partial reduction of Pten on tumor initiation, we generated Pten(shRNA) mice, in which PTEN expression was reduced below normal levels in various tissues. Pten(shRNA) mice frequently developed lymphoid and prostatic hyperplasia, splenomegaly and sebaceous adenomas. Our observations support the notion that partial reduction of the dose of Pten with shRNA is sufficient to induce neoplastic disease in multiple organ systems.