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Super-enhancer driven LIF/LIFR-STAT3-SOX2 regulatory feedback loop promotes cancer stemness in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (ATAC-seq)

ABSTRACT: Super-enhancers (SEs) have been recognized as key epigenetic regulators underlying cancer stemness and malignant traits by aberrant transcriptional control and promising therapeutic targets against human cancers. However, the SE landscape and their roles during head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) development especially in cancer stem cells (CSCs) maintenance remain underexplored yet. Here, we identified leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF)-SE as a representative oncogenic SE to activate LIF transcription in HNSCC. LIF secreted from cancer cells and cancer-associated fibroblasts promotes cancer stemness by driving SOX2 transcription in an autocrine or paracrine manner, respectively. Mechanistically, enhancer elements E1, 2, 4 within LIF-SE recruited SOX2/SMAD3/BRD4/EP300 to facilitate LIF transcription; LIF activated downstream LIFR-STAT3 signaling to drive SOX2 transcription, thus forming a previously unknown regulatory feedback loop (LIF-SE-LIF/LIFR-STAT3-SOX2) to maintain LIF overexpression and CSCs stemness. Clinically, increased LIF abundance in clinical samples correlated with malignant clinicopathological features and patient prognosis; higher LIF concentrations in presurgical plasma were negatively associated with patient survival and dramatically diminished following cancer eradication. Therapeutically, pharmacological targeting LIF-SE-LIF/LIFR-STAT3 significantly impaired tumor growth and reduced CSC subpopulations in HNSCC xenograft and PDX models. Our findings reveal a hitherto uncharacterized LIF-SE-mediated auto-regulatory loop in regulating HNSCC stemness and highlight LIF as a novel non-invasive biomarker and potential therapeutic target for HNSCC.

ORGANISM(S): Homo sapiens

PROVIDER: GSE274994 | GEO | 2024/11/06

REPOSITORIES: GEO

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Project description:Cancer stem cells (CSCs) have been reported in various cancers including skin squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). The molecular mechanisms regulating tumour initiation and stemness are still poorly characterized. Here, we found that Sox2, a transcription factor expressed in various types of embryonic and adult stem cells (SCs), was the most upregulated transcription factor in CSCs of squamous skin tumours. Sox2 is absent in normal epidermis and begins to be expressed in the vast majority of mouse and human pre-neoplastic skin tumours and continues to be expressed in a heterogeneous manner in invasive mouse and human SCCs. In contrast to other SCCs, in which Sox2 is frequently genetically amplified, the expression of Sox2 in mouse and human skin SCCs is transcriptionally regulated. Conditional deletion of Sox2 in the mouse epidermis dramatically decreases skin tumour formation following chemical induced carcinogenesis. Using Sox2-GFP knockin mice, we showed that Sox2 expressing cells in invasive SCC are greatly enriched in tumour propagating cells (TPCs) that further increase upon serial transplantations. Lineage ablation of Sox2 expressing cells within primary benign and malignant SCCs leads to tumour regression, consistent with the critical role of Sox2 expressing cells in tumour maintenance. Conditional Sox2 deletion in pre-existing skin papilloma and SCC leads to their regression and decreases their ability to be propagated upon transplantation into immunodeficient mice, supporting the essential role of Sox2 in regulating CSC functions. Transcriptional profiling of Sox2-GFP expressing CSC and upon Sox2 deletion uncovered a gene network regulated by Sox2 in primary tumour cells in vivo. Chromatin immunoprecipitation identified several direct Sox2 target genes controlling tumour stemness, survival, proliferation, adhesion, invasion, and paraneoplastic syndrome. Altogether, our study demonstrates that Sox2, by marking and regulating the functions of skin tumour initiating cells and CSCs, establishes a continuum between tumour initiation and progression in primary skin tumours. We used microarrays to profile Sox2-GFP expressing CSC to uncover a gene network regulated by Sox2 in primary tumour cells in vivo. Two different biological replicates from SOX2-GFP+ and SOX2-GFP- TECs (control) from 2 different SCC from 2 different mice were analysed. Total RNA was analysed using Mouse whole genome 430 2.0 array from Affymetrix.

Project description:Cancer stem cells (CSCs) have been reported in various cancers including skin squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). The molecular mechanisms regulating tumour initiation and stemness are still poorly characterized. Here, we found that Sox2, a transcription factor expressed in various types of embryonic and adult stem cells (SCs), was the most upregulated transcription factor in CSCs of squamous skin tumours. Sox2 is absent in normal epidermis and begins to be expressed in the vast majority of mouse and human pre-neoplastic skin tumours and continues to be expressed in a heterogeneous manner in invasive mouse and human SCCs. In contrast to other SCCs, in which Sox2 is frequently genetically amplified, the expression of Sox2 in mouse and human skin SCCs is transcriptionally regulated. Conditional deletion of Sox2 in the mouse epidermis dramatically decreases skin tumour formation following chemical induced carcinogenesis. Using Sox2-GFP knockin mice, we showed that Sox2 expressing cells in invasive SCC are greatly enriched in tumour propagating cells (TPCs) that further increase upon serial transplantations. Lineage ablation of Sox2 expressing cells within primary benign and malignant SCCs leads to tumour regression, consistent with the critical role of Sox2 expressing cells in tumour maintenance. Conditional Sox2 deletion in pre-existing skin papilloma and SCC leads to their regression and decreases their ability to be propagated upon transplantation into immunodeficient mice, supporting the essential role of Sox2 in regulating CSC functions. Transcriptional profiling of Sox2-GFP expressing CSC and upon Sox2 deletion uncovered a gene network regulated by Sox2 in primary tumour cells in vivo. Chromatin immunoprecipitation identified several direct Sox2 target genes controlling tumour stemness, survival, proliferation, adhesion, invasion, and paraneoplastic syndrome. Altogether, our study demonstrates that Sox2, by marking and regulating the functions of skin tumour initiating cells and CSCs, establishes a continuum between tumour initiation and progression in primary skin tumours. We used microarrays to profile tumour epithelial cells upon Sox2 deletion to uncover a gene network regulated by Sox2 in primary tumour cells in vivo. Microarray analysis was performed on FACS isolated Epcam+ a6+ TECs from 3 different biological experiments following TAM administration to K14CREER:SOX2fl/fl and control mice. Total RNA was analysed using Mouse whole genome 430 2.0 array from Affymetrix.

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Super-enhancer driven LIF/LIFR-STAT3-SOX2 regulatory feedback loop promotes cancer stemness in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (ATAC-seq)

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