Regarding neural cell populations, the activation of P2X7R in astrocytes inhibits fibroblast growth factor 2-induced proliferation (Neary et al. 2008) and promotes the differentiation of neuroblastoma N2a cells via the regulation of the Ca2+⁄calmodulin-dependent kinase II signalling cascade (Gomez-Villafuertes et al. 2009). This evidence concerns the gene FGF2 and neuroblastoma.