Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 27, 2026

Defining Gene Functions in Tumorigenesis by Ex vivo Ablation of Floxed Alleles in Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumor Cells
Published on: August 25, 2021
MYCN inhibits TrkC-mediated differentiation in neuroblastoma cells via disruption of the PKA signalling pathway
Stephanie Maher1, Andrew Roe1, Kieran Wynne1,2
1Systems Biology Ireland, School of Medicine, University College Dublin, Belfield, Ireland.
Abstract:
Neuroblastoma is a rare childhood cancer in which high-risk disease, frequently driven by MYCN amplification, has poor survival. Trk-receptor expression correlates with prognosis: TrkA is observed in low-risk cases while TrkB is often expressed in high-risk MYCN-amplified neuroblastoma. However, TrkC's role in neuroblastoma genesis remains unclear. This study investigates the interplay between TrkC signalling and MYCN status. Using neuroblastoma cell lines with varying MYCN levels, we found that TrkC activation leads to neuronal differentiation in MYCN non-amplified cells but promotes proliferation in MYCN-overexpressing and MYCN-amplified cells. Temporal phosphoproteomic analysis identified the PKA pathway as crucial for TrkC-mediated differentiation. Manipulating PKA signalling altered cell fate in vitro and in zebrafish xenografts. In MYCN-amplified cells, MYCN knockdown enhanced PKA/CREB signalling and induced differentiation. Similarly, overexpression of constitutively active PKA or CREB promoted differentiation, confirming the role of PKA/CREB pathway in driving differentiation. Analysis of patient data revealed reduced expression of PKA pathway genes in MYCN-amplified tumours. Additionally, MYCN-induced miR-221 was found to suppress CREB expression. Together, these findings demonstrate MYCN-dependent effects of TrkC signalling and highlight the therapeutic potential of targeting the PKA pathway to induce differentiation in high-risk MYCN-amplified neuroblastoma.
More Related Videos
09:33Author Spotlight: Finding New Therapeutic Targets for Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumor Through Genome-Scale shRNA Screens
Published on: August 25, 2023
09:45Mosaic Zebrafish Transgenesis for Functional Genomic Analysis of Candidate Cooperative Genes in Tumor Pathogenesis
Published on: March 31, 2015
Related Concept Videos
Enzyme-linked Receptors
Neurotrophin (NT) receptors are a family of RTKs, including trkA, trkB, and trkC (tropomyosin-related kinase) receptors. TrkA is specific for nerve growth factor (NGF), neurotrophin-6, and neurotrophin-7. TrkB binds...
Inhibition of Cdk Activity
Inhibition of CDK Activity
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...
Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells
Somatic...