Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 1, 2025

Immunohistochemical Visualization of Hippocampal Neuron Activity After Spatial Learning in a Mouse Model of Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Published on: May 12, 2015
Neurodevelopmental disorders, like cancer, are connected to impaired chromatin remodelers, PI3K/mTOR, and
Ruth Nussinov1,2, Bengi Ruken Yavuz3, M Kaan Arici3
1Computational Structural Biology Section, Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Frederick, MD 21702 USA.
Abstract:
Neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) and cancer share proteins, pathways, and mutations. Their clinical symptoms are different. However, individuals with NDDs have higher probabilities of eventually developing cancer. Here, we review the literature and ask how the shared features can lead to different medical conditions and why having an NDD first can increase the chances of malignancy. To explore these vital questions, we focus on dysregulated PI3K/mTOR, a major brain cell growth pathway in differentiation, and MAPK, a critical pathway in proliferation, a hallmark of cancer. Differentiation is governed by chromatin organization, making aberrant chromatin remodelers highly likely agents in NDDs. Dysregulated chromatin organization and accessibility influence the lineage of specific cell brain types at specific embryonic development stages. PAK1, with pivotal roles in brain development and in cancer, also regulates MAPK. We review, clarify, and connect dysregulated pathways with dysregulated proliferation and differentiation in cancer and NDDs and highlight PAK1 role in brain development and MAPK regulation. Exactly how PAK1 activation controls brain development, and why specific chromatin remodeler components, e.g., BAF170 encoded by SMARCC2 in autism, await clarification.
Related Concept Videos
mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression
The mTOR pathway or the...
Interactions Between Signaling Pathways
Convergence and divergence, and cross-talk between signaling pathways
Two distinct signaling pathways can converge on a single functional unit, which may either be a single protein or a complex of proteins. The response is either functionally distinct or synergistic between the two pathways but different from the response...
PI3K/mTOR/AKT Signaling Pathway
MAPK Signaling Cascades
Abnormal Proliferation
Microtubule Associated Proteins (MAPs)

