Alza, L., Montes-Labrador, P., Megías, D., Casali, A., Casas-Tintó, S., Herreros, J., Cantí, C. (2026). Pro-tumoral Ca[2+] signaling is dependent on Slowpoke and Ca-α1T channels in Drosophila melanogaster glioma.  Sci. Rep. 16(1): 12297.

FBrf0265140

Research paper

Ion channel-mediated cytosolic Ca[2+] oscillations play a crucial role in promoting glioblastoma growth. Here, we have studied the expression and functional roles of prospective oncogenic targets Slowpoke and Ca-α1T channels in a Drosophila melanogaster glioma model. While their mammalian orthologs have shown to be relevant for glioblastoma cell viability in vitro, there is no data available about their oncogenic function in a complex in vivo environment. Using RNAis against Slowpoke and Ca-α1T specifically expressed in glial cells, we show that both channels contribute to magnify Ca[2+] activity and ensuing Ca[2+]-dependent pro-tumoral pathways, glial cell proliferation and membrane extension. However, only the knockdown of Slowpoke extends the lifespan of glioma-bearing individuals and reverses glioma-induced neurodegeneration, suggesting its functional association with other Ca[2+] channels in addition to Ca-α1T. Furthermore, RNAseq transcriptomic analysis reveals that Slowpoke regulates excitatory neurotransmission, highlighting its potential as a therapeutic target in glioblastoma.

PMC13079768 (PMC) (EuropePMC)