Conversion of glioma cells into neuron-like cells by small molecules.

Currently, researchers are exploring the conversion of astrocytes into functional mature neurons and gradually exploring the conversion of glioma into neurons. We report that SLCDS (SB431542, LDN193189, CHIR99021, DAPT, and SKL2001) has been shown to convert human glioma cells into mature neuron-like cells. The converted cells exhibited upregulation of DCX, TuJ1, MAP2, NeuN, and GAD67, while the expressions of EGFR, PDGFR, Ki67, and vimentin were inhibited. The nTFs, such as NeuroD1 and Sox2, were upregulated, along with TF genes associated with neurogenesis and tumor suppression. We have finally confirmed that overexpressing nTFs can induce the conversion of glioma cells into neuronal cells. This study demonstrates that SLCDS can activate the expression of nTFs in human glioma cells and induce the conversion of human glioma cells into neuron-like cells. Additionally, SLCDS inhibits the expressions of EGFR, PDGFR, Ki67, and Vimentin in gliomas. Our findings offer a potential approach for treating glioma.