Laryngeal papillomas are benign, human papillomavirus-induced hyperplastic tumors of the respiratory tract. They are characterized by overexpression of the epidermal growth factor receptor, constitutive activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase, a low proliferative rate, and defects in differentiation. We have now found that phosphoinositol 3-kinase (PI 3-K) activity is significantly increased in papilloma tissue, However, phosphorylated Akt (also known as protein kinase B), a downstream effector of PI 3-K, is reduced when compared with normal tissue. The ratio of activated Akt to total Akt is much lower in papillomas than in normal laryngeal tissue, suggesting decreased Akt activation. PTEN/MMAC1 is a tumor suppressor that dephosphorylates phosphatidylinositol 3,4,5-triphosphate, an intermediate in the PI 3-K/Akt signaling pathway. We have found that PTEN protein is overexpressed in laryngeal papillomas when compared with normal laryngeal tissues. On the basis of reverse transcription-PCR analysis, PTEN mRNA is more abundant in papillomas, suggesting transcriptional up-regulation. We postulate that negative regulation of the PI 3-K/Akt pathway by PTEN may modulate the effects of the hyperactive epidermal growth factor receptor/mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway, contributing to the low proliferation and dysfunctional differentiation of laryngeal papillomas.
