Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41723447›Full record

ArticleMolecular cancer2026

Hedgehog signaling drives glial cell plasticity and oncogenic reprogramming in gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms.

Suzann Duan, AnneLeigh B Twer, Ateh Zinkeng, Ikrame Naciri, Juliette W Moore, Rebeca G Gentry, Ricky A Sontz, Reed I Ayabe, Edgar Tapia, Travis W Sawyer and 1 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Molecular cancer, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing 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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Suzann DuanDepartment of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California Irvine, Irvine, USA.
AnneLeigh B TwerDivision of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Medicine, University of Arizona College of Medicine, Tucson, AZ, USA.
Ateh ZinkengDivision of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Medicine, University of Arizona College of Medicine, Tucson, AZ, USA.
Ikrame NaciriDepartment of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California Irvine, Irvine, USA.
Juliette W MooreDepartment of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California Irvine, Irvine, USA.
Rebeca G GentryDepartment of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California Irvine, Irvine, USA.
Ricky A SontzDivision of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Medicine, University of Arizona College of Medicine, Tucson, AZ, USA.
Reed I AyabeDepartment of Surgery, University of California Irvine, CA, Orange, USA.
Edgar TapiaCaris Life Sciences, Phoenix, AZ, USA.
Travis W SawyerWyant College of Optical Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA.
Juanita L MerchantDivision of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Medicine, University of Arizona College of Medicine, Tucson, AZ, USA. jmerchant@arizona.edu.

Funding

VITAMIN AP30CA023074 · NCI · UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA · PI Dan Theodorescu · 1985 to 2026
$110.2M
Univ.of Calif., Irvine Cancer Center Support GrantP30CA062203 · NCI · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-IRVINE · PI Melanie Funes · 1994 to 2026
$57.9M
ZINC GLUCONATE GLYCINE LOZENGES &VITAMIN C EFFECTS ON COMMON COLDM01RR000042 · NCRR · UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR · PI YANIK, GREGORY A · 1985 to 2007
$40.8M
The role of Hedgehog and enteric neural crest cell reprogramming in neuroendocrine differentiationK01DK136969 · NIDDK · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-IRVINE · PI Suzann Duan · 2023 to 2026
$528k
NCI NIH HHS P30 CA023074NCI NIH HHS P30 CA062203NCRR NIH HHS M01 RR000042NIDDK NIH HHS 5K01DK136969NIDDK NIH HHS K01 DK136969
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundDisruption of the Men1 locus in epithelial and endocrine tissues fails to generate the full spectrum of gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NETs), raising the possibility of a potential stromal source for these cancers. Neural crest-derived glial cells were previously implicated in neuroendocrine tumors arising in the pituitary and pancreas, yet these studies lacked a clear mechanism for these events. Here, we investigated the hypothesis that Men1-driven Hedgehog (HH) signaling redirects the glial cell fate to give rise to neuroendocrine tumors in the gastrointestinal tract.

methodsHyperactivation of the HH signaling pathway in human GEP-NETs was evaluated using immunofluorescent staining and clinicogenomic databases. Men1 was deleted in the glial lineage by expressing Cre recombinase downstream of the human GFAP and Sox10 promoters. Overexpression of HH signaling proteins in mouse GEP-NETs was confirmed by immunofluorescent staining and immunoblot analysis. We generated human and mouse GEP-NET tumoroids and exposed them to agonists and inhibitors of HH signaling. HH activation of Men1-deficient glial cells was blocked by deleting the gene encoding primary ciliary protein KIF3A required for transducing SHH signaling.

resultsWe demonstrated that human GEP-NETs overexpress HH signaling pathway components, including SHH and its cognate receptor PTCH1. We showed that patient-derived GEP-NET tumoroids proliferate in response to SHH pathway agonists. In contrast, pharmacologic inhibition of GLI1/2, but not inhibition of SMO alone, attenuated tumoroid growth. Genetic deletion of Men1 in GFAP+ and SOX10+ glial cells caused the development of pancreatic and intestinal NETs that overexpress HH proteins. Further use of tdTomato+ mice demonstrated the involvement of GFAP+ and SOX10+ glial cells in these tumors. Tumoroid cultures of mouse pancreatic, duodenal, and jejunal NETs recapitulated the drug response shown by patient-derived tumoroids. Lastly, Men1-deficient enteric glial cultures showed a glial-to-neuroendocrine transition that was alleviated upon HH inhibition, and these events were reproduced in genetic mice harboring GFAP+ cells with impaired primary cilia.

conclusionsOur study implicates the HH signaling pathway in GEP-NET development and underscores a glial cell of origin for these tumors.

Indexed as

Cell PlasticityCellular ReprogrammingHedgehog ProteinsIntestinal NeoplasmsNeuroendocrine TumorsNeurogliaPancreatic NeoplasmsSignal TransductionStomach NeoplasmsAnimalsGene Expression Regulation, NeoplasticHumansMiceHedgehog ProteinsEnteric neural crestGastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumorsHedgehog signaling pathwayMeninTumor organoids

Identifiers

PMID41723447
PMCPMC13032639

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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.