Background Mutation or deletion in the phosphatase and tensin homologue deleted on chromosome ten (PTEN)gene has been identified as an important cause of endometrial carcinoma; stromal cell derived factor-1α (SDF-1α)exerts growth-promoting effects on endometrial cancer cells through activation of the PI-3 kinase/Akt pathway and downstream effectors such as extracellular-responsive kinase (ERK). In this study, a plasmid containing the PTEN gene was transfected into Ishikawa cells to investigate the difference in growth and signal transduction between Ishikawa-PTEN and Ishikawa cells after SDF-1α stimulation, and to study mechanisms of the involvement of PTEN protein in endometrial carcinoma development.Methods Ishikawa cells were transfected with a plasmid (pLXSN-PTEN) containing the PTEN gene and a plasmid (pLXSN-EGFP) with enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP). Cells were then screened to obtain Ishikawa-PTEN cells and Ishikawa-neo cells that can both stably express PTEN protein and EGFP. Expression of PTEN protein, phosphorylation levels of AKT and ERK (pAKT and pERK) and growth differences in Ishikawa-PTEN, Ishikawa-neo and Ishikawa cells before and after SDF-1α stimulation were then determined by West blots and MTT assays.Results West blot analysis showed that Ishikawa cells produced PTEN after transfection with the PTEN gene. At 15 minutes after SDF-1α stimulation, the pAKT level of Ishikawa-PTEN cells was lower than that of Ishikawa-neo cells and Ishikawa cells. There was no significant difference in pERK levels among the three cell lines. The positive effect of SDF-1α on Ishikawa-PTEN cells growth was markedly less than the effect on Ishikawa-neo and Ishikawa cells. However, in the absence of SDF-1α stimulation (baseline), the pAKT level in Ishikawa-PTEN cells was less than that in Ishikawa cells. There was a significant difference in growth between the Ishikawa-PTEN cells and the Ishikawa-neo cells.Conclusions PTEN gene transfection can regulate the level of pAKT but not pERK in Ishikawa-PTEN cells.PTEN protein may suppress the growth-promoting effect of SDF-1α on endometrial carcinoma by inhibiting the PI-3K/AKT signal transduction pathway.