Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40233178›Full record

ArticleScience signaling2025

A drug that induces the microRNA miR-124 enables differentiation of retinoic acid-resistant neuroblastoma cells.

Lien D Nguyen, Satyaki Sengupta, Kevin I Cho, Alexander Floru, Rani E George, Anna M Krichevsky

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Science signaling, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Review
  3. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Lien D NguyenDepartment of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-8096-1570
Satyaki SenguptaDepartment of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
Kevin I ChoDepartment of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.ORCID 0009-0002-7852-2215
Alexander FloruDepartment of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-9578-0411
Rani E GeorgeDepartment of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-4206-1779
Anna M KrichevskyDepartment of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-5080-5507

Funding

Developing miR-10b targeting for glioblastomaR01CA215072 · NCI · BRIGHAM AND WOMEN'S HOSPITAL · PI KRICHEVSKY, ANNA M. · 2018 to 2022
$2.0M
Cell lineage as an indicator of immune response in neuroblastomaR01CA271605 · NCI · DANA-FARBER CANCER INST · PI Rani E. George · 2022 to 2026
$2.0M
NCI NIH HHS R01 CA215072NCI NIH HHS R01 CA271605
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Tumor cell heterogeneity in neuroblastoma, a pediatric cancer arising from neural crest-derived progenitor cells, presents clinical challenges. Unlike adrenergic (ADRN) neuroblastoma cells, neuroblastoma cells with a mesenchymal (MES) identity are resistant to chemotherapy and retinoid therapy, which contributes to relapses and treatment failures. We explored whether up-regulation of the neurogenic, tumor suppressor microRNA miR-124 could promote the differentiation of retinoic acid-resistant MES neuroblastoma cells. Leveraging our screen for miRNA-modulatory small molecules, we identified and validated the tyrosine and phosphoinositide kinase inhibitor PP121 as a robust inducer of miR-124. Combining PP121 and BDNF-activating bufalin synergistically arrested proliferation and promoted the sustained differentiation of MES/heterogeneous SK-N-AS cells over several weeks. This protocol also resulted in the differentiation of multiple MES neuroblastoma and glioblastoma cell lines. RNA-seq analysis of differentiated MES/heterogeneous SK-N-AS cells revealed the replacement of the ADRN core regulatory circuitry with circuitries associated with chromaffin cells and Schwann cell precursors. Furthermore, differentiation was associated with inhibition of the CDK4/CDK6 pathway and activation of a transcriptional program that correlated with improved outcomes for patients with neuroblastoma. Our findings suggest an approach with translational potential to induce the differentiation of therapy-resistant cancers of the nervous system. Moreover, these long-lived, differentiated cells could be used to study mechanisms underlying cancer biology and therapies.

Indexed as

Cell DifferentiationDrug Resistance, NeoplasmMicroRNAsNeuroblastomaTretinoinBrain-Derived Neurotrophic FactorCell Line, TumorCell ProliferationCyclin-Dependent Kinase 6Gene Expression Regulation, NeoplasticHumansBrain-Derived Neurotrophic FactorCyclin-Dependent Kinase 6MicroRNAsMIRN124 microRNA, humanTretinoin

Identifiers

PMID40233178
PMCPMC12145117

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.