Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40541171›Full record

ArticleStem cell reports2025

Cholinergic neuron-to-glioblastoma synapses in a human iPSC-derived co-culture model.

Yusha Sun, Xin Wang, Zhijian Zhang, Kristen H Park, Yicheng Wu, Weifan Dong, Daniel Y Zhang, Yao Fu, Feng Zhang, Zev A Binder and 7 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Stem cell reports, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing 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

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

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

6 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Review
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  6. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

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

17 authors.

Yusha SunNeuroscience Graduate Group, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Xin WangDepartment of Neuroscience and Mahoney Institute for Neurosciences, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Zhijian ZhangDepartment of Neuroscience and Mahoney Institute for Neurosciences, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Kristen H ParkNeuroscience Graduate Group, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Yicheng WuDepartment of Neuroscience and Mahoney Institute for Neurosciences, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Weifan DongDepartment of Neuroscience and Mahoney Institute for Neurosciences, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Daniel Y ZhangDepartment of Neurosurgery, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Yao FuDepartment of Neuroscience and Mahoney Institute for Neurosciences, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Feng ZhangDepartment of Neuroscience and Mahoney Institute for Neurosciences, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Zev A BinderDepartment of Neurosurgery, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA; Glioblastoma Translational Center of Excellence, The Abramson Cancer Center, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Emily Ling-Lin PaiDepartment of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
MacLean P NasrallahGlioblastoma Translational Center of Excellence, The Abramson Cancer Center, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA; Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Kimberly M ChristianDepartment of Neuroscience and Mahoney Institute for Neurosciences, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Donald M O'RourkeDepartment of Neurosurgery, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA; Glioblastoma Translational Center of Excellence, The Abramson Cancer Center, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Nicolas ToniCenter for Psychiatric Neurosciences, Lausanne University Hospital, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
Guo-Li MingDepartment of Neuroscience and Mahoney Institute for Neurosciences, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA; Institute for Regenerative Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA; Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA. Electronic address: gming@pennmedicine.upenn.edu.
Hongjun SongDepartment of Neuroscience and Mahoney Institute for Neurosciences, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA; Department of Neurosurgery, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA; Glioblastoma Translational Center of Excellence, The Abramson Cancer Center, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA; Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA; The Epigenetics Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA. Electronic address: shongjun@pennmedicine.upenn.edu.

Funding

Continuous Neurogenesis in the Mammalian HippocampusR35NS116843 · NINDS · UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA · PI HONGJUN SONG · 2020 to 2026
$6.9M
Development and validation of an autologous mouse model for the study of immune interactions with glioblastomaR37CA285434 · NCI · UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA · PI Zev Ari Binder · 2024 to 2026
$2.0M
Epitranscriptomic regulation in the mammalian nervous systemR35NS137480 · NINDS · UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA · PI Guo-li Ming · 2025 to 2026
$2.0M
Monosynaptic tracing defines circuit connectivity of human high-grade glioma in the adult mouse brainF31NS137664 · NINDS · UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA · PI SUN, YUSHA · 2024 to 2025
$87k
NCI NIH HHS R37 CA285434NINDS NIH HHS F31 NS137664NINDS NIH HHS R35 NS116843NINDS NIH HHS R35 NS137480
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Glioblastoma (GBM) integrates extensively into brain-wide neuronal circuits; however, neuron-tumor interactions have largely been studied with glutamatergic neurons in animal models. The role of neuromodulatory circuits for GBM biology in all-human cell systems remains unclear. Here, we report a co-culture system employing patient-derived GBM organoids and human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived cholinergic neurons. We provided evidence of structural human cholinergic synaptic inputs onto GBM cells via trans-monosynaptic tracing and electron microscopy and functional synaptic interactions through the metabotropic CHRM3 receptor via calcium imaging. Deep single-cell RNA sequencing of co-cultures compared to GBM monocultures further revealed shifts in tumor transcriptional profiles toward a more proliferative state, with contributions from both diffusible factors and direct contacts, the latter of which are dependent on cholesterol biosynthesis. Together, our findings support the role of cholinergic inputs in promoting GBM progression and highlight hiPSC-derived co-culture models as a useful platform for cancer neuroscience.

Indexed as

Brain NeoplasmsCholinergic NeuronsGlioblastomaInduced Pluripotent Stem CellsSynapsesCoculture TechniquesHumansOrganoidsReceptor, Muscarinic M3Receptor, Muscarinic M3cancer neurosciencecholinergic neuronsglioblastomagliomahuman iPSCneuron-to-glioma synapsesingle-cellsynapsetumor organoids

Identifiers

PMID40541171
PMCPMC12277791

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Registered trials

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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.