CASP3 and neuroblastoma: Our previous study showed the depletion of TLX in adult hippocampal progenitors increased active caspase-3, indicative of a prosurvival role for TLX in neural progenitors.11 As Akt is a well-known prosurvival signaling molecule and its activation is a marker for poor outcome and prognosis in NB,18 the levels of phosphorylated Akt were compared in WT cells before and after transient knockdown of TLX using shRNA.