Inactivation of Pten in osteo-chondroprogenitor cells leads to epiphyseal growth plate abnormalities and skeletal overgrowth.

Unlabelled: To study the role of the Pten tumor suppressor in skeletogenesis, we generated mice lacking this key phosphatidylinositol 3'-kinase pathway regulator in their osteo-chondroprogenitors. A phenotype of growth plate dysfunction and skeletal overgrowth was observed.

Introduction: Skeletogenesis is a complex process relying on a variety of ligands that activate a range of intracellular signal transduction pathways.