The cell of origin for malignant brain tumors remains uncertain, but de-differentiation from mature cells in the CNS has always been considered a strong possibility. In this issue of Nature Neuroscience, Alcantara Llaguno and colleagues report that differentiated neurons resist transformation by glioblastoma-associated mutations, pointing to neural stem cells or immature progenitors as the most likely cells of origin for these tumors, rather than cells of a relatively mature neuronal lineage.
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Dirks, P.B. Making a commitment: neurons refuse cancer’s advances. Nat Neurosci 22, 507–508 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41593-019-0373-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41593-019-0373-8
