Interestingly, vesicular glutamate transporter 1 (VGluT1)-, P2X purinoceptor 3 (P2X3)- and growth-associated protein 43 (GAP43)-positive nerve fibres were detectable in a subset of healthy PNECs, clustered into neuroepithelial bodies (NEBs; Fig. 2a and Extended Data Fig. 5a–c), and in small SCLC tumours (Fig. 2a,b and Extended Data Fig. 5d). This evidence concerns the gene P2RX3 and small cell lung carcinoma.