Recently, a novel phosphatase designated PTEN/MMAC1/TEP1 and located on chromosome 10q23.3 has been implicated as a new tumor suppressor gene in human cancer. Allelic loss and mutation of this gene has been reported in epithelial derived tumors, including breast cancer and prostate cancer, and in glioblastoma multiforme. The present study was designed to evaluate the potential involvement of PTEN in the pathogenesis of lymphoid neoplasms. We analyzed 27 hematopoietic cell lines (representing a variety of lymphoid lineages), 65 primary lymphoid tumors (including 24 lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoma [LBL], 30 large B-cell lymphoma [LBCL], 7 Burkitt's lymphoma [BL], and 4 anaplastic large cell lymphoma [ALCL]), and 25 nonmalignant lymph node controls. Gene deletion and gross rearrangement were evaluated using Southern blot analysis, and mutations were studied by polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) (PCR-SSCP) and sequencing. Six of 27 cell lines (22.2%) and 3 of 65 primary lymphomas (4.6%) contained alterations of this gene. A large homozygous deletion spanning exons 2 through 5 was detected in one LBL cell line, and two insertions potentially resulting in premature termination, were detected in a second LBL cell line. Nonconservative nucleotide variations were found in two other cell lines (one LBCL and one BL) and in one primary case of LBCL. In addition, two other cell lines (one BL and one myeloma) and two primary lymphomas, both LBCL, contained small deletions within intron 7. These deletions mapped to a poly-T-rich tract just 5' to the intron 7/exon 8 spice site. Their significance is unclear, as they may represent polymorphisms. Overall, our results suggest that abnormalities of the PTEN gene can contribute to pathogenesis in a small percentage of malignant lymphomas.