Fig. 6: Food insecurity induces stress-responsive neurotransmitter shifts and activates PI3K/AKT/mTORC1 signaling in neuroblastoma.
From: Food insecurity impacts neuroblastoma pathogenesis in murine xenograft tumor models
A Neurotransmitter signaling genes exhibiting ≥3-fold differential expression in tumors from food-insecure mice compared to controls are shown. Downregulation of GABAergic components (GABRG2, GABRA5, GABBR1) and upregulation of stress-associated receptors (CHRM1, CHRM3, ADRB2) reflect a stress-adaptive transcriptional shift. B Genes within the PI3K/AKT pathway showing ≥3-fold upregulation in tumors from food-insecure mice include key regulators of tumor survival and metabolic adaptation (ILK, PIK3R2, AKT3, MTOR, IGF1R), indicating coordinated activation of pro-survival signaling. C mTORC1 pathway activation was confirmed at the protein level by immunoblot analysis. Representative blots and quantification demonstrate increased expression and phosphorylation of mTORC1 complex components (mTOR, RAPTOR, GβL), consistent with metabolic reprogramming in response to dietary stress. Only statistically significant changes (p < 0.05) are displayed in panels (A, B). (ns p > 0.05, ***p < 0.001, ****p < 0.0001).
