Differentiation and survival influences of growth factors in human neuroblastoma

Eur J Cancer. 1995;31A(4):453-8. doi: 10.1016/0959-8049(95)00033-f.

Abstract

Human neuroblastoma cell lines are established from high-stage, highly malignant tumours. Despite this and the fact that these tumours are arrested at an early, immature stage, many cell lines have the capacity to undergo neuronal differentiation under proper growth conditions. One such cell line is the noradrenergic SH-SY5Y cell line. These cells can be induced to mature by a variety of modalities, resulting in different mature phenotypes. The use of this cell system as a model to study the stem cell character of neuroblastoma is reviewed and discussed. In particular, we focus on growth factor dependencies in the SH-SY5Y system, and compare that to the normal situation, i.e. growth factor control of sympathetic neuronal and neuroendocrine differentiation during human and rat embryogenesis.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Cell Differentiation / drug effects
  • Growth Substances / physiology*
  • Humans
  • Insulin-Like Growth Factor I / pharmacology
  • Insulin-Like Growth Factor II / pharmacology
  • Neoplastic Stem Cells / pathology
  • Neuroblastoma / metabolism*
  • Neuroblastoma / pathology
  • Phenotype
  • Protein Kinase C / physiology
  • Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate / pharmacology
  • Tretinoin / pharmacology
  • Tumor Cells, Cultured

Substances

  • Growth Substances
  • Tretinoin
  • Insulin-Like Growth Factor I
  • Insulin-Like Growth Factor II
  • Protein Kinase C
  • Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate