Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40467940›Full record

ArticleMolecular neurobiology2025

Differentiation of SH-SY5Y Cells into Cortical Neuron-like Cells for Tauopathy Modeling and Seeding Assays.

Alexander Devyatov, Ihor Kozlov, Viswanath Das

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Molecular neurobiology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

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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

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

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PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Alexander DevyatovInstitute of Molecular and Translational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Palacký University and University Hospital Olomouc, Hněvotínská, Olomouc, 1333/5, 779 00, Czech Republic.
Ihor KozlovInstitute of Molecular and Translational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Palacký University and University Hospital Olomouc, Hněvotínská, Olomouc, 1333/5, 779 00, Czech Republic.
Viswanath DasInstitute of Molecular and Translational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Palacký University and University Hospital Olomouc, Hněvotínská, Olomouc, 1333/5, 779 00, Czech Republic. viswanath.das@upol.cz.

Funding

Grantová Agentura České Republiky 23-06301JMinistry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic LX22NPO5107Palacky University in Olomouc IGA_LF_2024_038Technology Agency of the Czech Republic TN02000109
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

SH-SY5Y cells are widely used as an in vitro neuronal model, yet reliable differentiation protocols tailored for tauopathy research remain limited. Effective differentiation is essential for studying tau aggregation, propagation, and neurodegenerative mechanisms. Here, we present an optimized two-step differentiation protocol for TauP301L-expressing SH-SY5Y cells that enhances neuronal maturation and tauopathy modeling, providing a physiologically relevant system for investigating tau seeding. SH-SY5Y cells expressing TauP301L-EGFP under an inducible system were differentiated using a two-step protocol consisting of retinoic acid (RA) for 72 h, followed by brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and RA for 72 h. Differentiated neurons were then exposed to exogenous P301L tau peptide fibrils to assess their susceptibility to tau seeding and aggregation. Differentiation resulted in increased neurite outgrowth, cholinergic marker expression (ChAT upregulation, TH downregulation), and upregulation of the mature 2N4R tau isoform. Western blot analysis showed increased T22 and pSer262 tau immunoreactivity in seeded cells, consistent with tau conformational changes and pathological phosphorylation. These findings may reflect early stages of tau misfolding but do not confirm oligomer formation. Seeding also induced neurite remodeling, varicosity formation, and reduced neurite diameter-features consistent with tau-mediated pathology involving cytoskeletal changes, organelle accumulation, or axonal transport defects. This optimized differentiation protocol provides an experimentally tractable tauopathy model for investigating tau propagation and neuronal dysfunctions in a controlled human cell context. Compared to existing SH-SY5Y differentiation methods, our system provides faster neuronal maturation, controlled TauP301L induction, and enhanced tau isoform expression, making it a valuable platform for studying early tau misfolding events and therapeutic interventions in tauopathies.

Indexed as

Cell DifferentiationCerebral CortexNeuronsTauopathiesCell Line, TumorHumansNeuritestau ProteinsTretinointau ProteinsTretinoinAlzheimer’s diseaseCholine AcetyltransferaseNeurodegenerative diseaseSH-SY5YTauTyrosine HydroxylaseVesicular glutamate transporter 1

Identifiers

PMID40467940
PMCPMC12433439

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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.