Glucocorticoids induce neuroendocrine cell differentiation and increase expression of N-myc in N-type human neuroblastoma cells.

Human neuroblastoma cell lines comprise cellular counterparts of normal differentiation phenotypes arising from the developing neural crest Three distinct cell types have been isolated from cell lines: N-type cells with properties of embryonic sympathoadrenoblasts, S-type cells resembling nonneuronal Schwannian/glial/melanoblastic precursors, and I-type stem cells that can differentiate into either N- or S-type cells. Sympathoadrenoblasts from the normal neural crest further differentiate into neuronal or neuroendocrine cells. In this study, we show that malignant N-type neuroblasts likewise can differentiate futher along these same pathways.