Effect of chronic mechanical compression on co-cultures of human induced neurons and murine glia

Human induced neurons and primary murine glia were subjected to a controlled in vitro model of mechanical compression to determine how solid stress—similar to forces present in glioblastoma—directly alters neuronal and glial transcriptional programs. RNA sequencing was performed after 24 hours of compression, with species-specific alignment enabling independent analysis of neuronal and glial responses. Compressed human neurons showed strong activation of hypoxia-responsive metabolic genes, pro-inflammatory signaling pathways, and intrinsic apoptotic programs. Murine glia exhibited parallel induction of hypoxia and apoptotic pathways, accompanied by robust NF-κB/AP-1-driven inflammatory cytokine expression characteristic of astrocytic and microglial activation. These data define the conserved transcriptional responses by which neurons and glia detect and respond to solid stress, providing a resource for understanding mechanotransduction and neuroinflammatory signaling in diseases characterized by mass effect, including glioblastoma.