{"entity":{"id":"paper-venkataramani-nature","kind":"paper","name":"Glutamatergic synaptic input to glioma cells drives brain tumour progression","aka":[],"tldr":"Paper cited by one term page, indexed on Europe PMC as PubMed record 31534219 and published in Nature; the citing page links this DOI, which is how the record was matched.","summary":"A network of communicating tumour cells that is connected by tumour microtubes mediates the progression of incurable gliomas. Moreover, neuronal activity can foster malignant behaviour of glioma cells by non-synaptic paracrine and autocrine mechanisms. Here we report a direct communication channel between neurons and glioma cells in different disease models and human tumours: functional bona fide chemical synapses between presynaptic neurons and postsynaptic glioma cells. These neurogliomal synapses show a typical synaptic ultrastructure, are located on tumour microtubes, and produce postsynaptic currents that are mediated by glutamate receptors of the AMPA subtype. Neuronal activity including epileptic conditions generates synchronised calcium transients in tumour-microtube-connected glioma networks. Glioma-cell-specific genetic perturbation of AMPA receptors reduces calcium-related invasiveness of tumour-microtube-positive tumour cells and glioma growth. Invasion and growth are also reduced by anaesthesia and the AMPA receptor antagonist perampanel, respectively. These findings reveal a biologically relevant direct synaptic communication between neurons and glioma cells with potential clinical implications.\n\nIndexed on Europe PMC as PubMed record 31534219 (DOI 10.1038/s41586-019-1564-x). Matched by DOI alone: one term page cites this DOI among its external links (the pages are listed under Related), and this page was written so that the citation resolves inside OnCo. No figure has been checked by an editor.","asOf":"2026-09-22","links":[{"label":"Nature 2019","url":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-019-1564-x"},{"label":"PubMed","url":"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31534219/"},{"label":"Europe PMC","url":"https://europepmc.org/article/MED/31534219"}],"tags":["europepmc-ingest"],"related":["bioelectric-theory-of-cancer"],"cancers":[],"sections":[],"technologies":[],"targets":[],"drugs":[],"companies":[],"institutions":[],"pathways":[],"terms":[],"trials":[],"people":[],"bottlenecks":[],"keyPapers":[],"journals":["nature"],"dependsOn":[],"notes":[],"journal":"Nature","year":2019,"doi":"10.1038/s41586-019-1564-x","pmid":"31534219","authors":"Venkataramani V, Tanev DI, Strahle C, et al.","paperType":"observational","findings":[],"whatItMeans":"One term page on OnCo cites this paper by its DOI; this record gives the citation a page of its own so a reader can follow it without leaving OnCo. Read the abstract above alongside the citing page listed under Related; the record was created automatically from the Europe PMC entry and its figures have not been checked by hand.","caveats":["Matched to the citing OnCo records by DOI alone; the summary reproduces the Europe PMC abstract and no figure has been verified against the full paper."]},"route":"/key-papers/paper-venkataramani-nature/","neighbours":{"term":[{"id":"bioelectric-theory-of-cancer","kind":"term","name":"Bioelectric theory of cancer (Levin)","route":"/terms/bioelectric-theory-of-cancer/"}],"journal":[{"id":"nature","kind":"journal","name":"Nature","route":"/journals/nature/"}]}}