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Updated: Aug 2, 2026

Defining Gene Functions in Tumorigenesis by Ex vivo Ablation of Floxed Alleles in Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumor Cells
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Defects in cAMP-pathway may initiate carcinogenesis in dividing nerve cells: a review

K N Prasad1, W C Cole, X-D Yan

  • 1Department of Radiology, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver, CO 80262, USA. Kedar.Prasad@UCHSC.edu

Apoptosis : an International Journal on Programmed Cell Death
|October 24, 2003
PubMed

Insights

Defects in the adenosine 3

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Cancer Biology
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Carcinogenesis mechanisms in nervous tissues remain unclear.
  • Adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) pathway is vital for neuronal and glial cell differentiation.
  • cAMP pathway defects may initiate cancer development.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To propose a hypothesis linking cAMP pathway defects to the initial phase of carcinogenesis (immortalization).
  • To explore subsequent genetic alterations leading to neoplastic transformation.
  • To review the role of cAMP in nerve cell differentiation and carcinogenesis.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature on cAMP, cell differentiation, and carcinogenesis.
  • Analysis of studies involving murine neuroblastoma (NB) cells and glioma cells.
  • Identification of potential gene targets within the cAMP pathway.

Main Results:

  • Elevated cAMP induces terminal differentiation in aneuploid NB cells.
  • cAMP-resistant cells and reversible differentiation effects are observed in NB and glioma cells.
  • Potential sites in the cAMP pathway crucial for immortalization and transformation are identified.

Conclusions:

  • cAMP pathway alterations are implicated in the initiation and progression of nervous system cancers.
  • Understanding cAMP-regulated genes is key to deciphering carcinogenesis mechanisms.
  • The cAMP pathway's role in differentiation persists despite chromosomal anomalies in cancer cells.

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