Project description:Two cell identities, noradrenergic and mesenchymal, have been characterized in neuroblastoma cell lines according to their epigenetic landscapes relying on specific circuitries of transcription factors. Yet, their relationship and relative contribution in patient tumors remain poorly defined. Our results now document spontaneous plasticity in several neuroblastoma models between noradrenergic and mesenchymal tumor states and show that this plasticity is reversible and relies on epigenetic reprogramming. We demonstrate that an in vivo microenvironment provides a powerful pressure towards a noradrenergic identity for these models. Interestingly, single-cell RNA-seq analyses of 18 tumor biopsies and 15 PDX models revealed that tumor cells systematically exhibit a noradrenergic identity. Yet, our data highlight a population of noradrenergic tumor cells with mesenchymal features, demonstrating that the plasticity described in cellular models between both identities is relevant in neuroblastoma patients. Our work also emphasizes that both external cues of the environment and intrinsic factors influence plasticity and cell identity in neuroblastoma.
Project description:Two cell identities, noradrenergic and mesenchymal, have been characterized in neuroblastoma cell lines according to their epigenetic landscapes relying on specific core regulatory circuitries of transcription factors. Yet, their relationship and relative contribution in patient tumors remain to be defined. Here, we demonstrate that GATA3 but not PHOX2A or PHOX2B knock-out in noradrenergic cells induces a mesenchymal phenotype. We further document a spontaneous plasticity between the noradrenergic and mesenchymal identities in a subset of cell lines and identify transcription factors expressed in transition cells between the two states. Strikingly, mesenchymal neuroblastoma cells revert to a noradrenergic phenotype in vivo. Consistently, tumor cells with a mesenchymal identity are not detected in single-cell transcriptomic analyses of neuroblastoma tumors and PDX models. Our data also highlight neuroblastoma intra-tumor heterogeneity with the co-existence of distinct tumor populations, including sympathoblast-like and chromaffin-like cells suggesting that neuroblastoma cells arise from a common sympatho-adrenal progenitor.
Project description:Two cell identities, noradrenergic and mesenchymal, have been characterized in neuroblastoma cell lines according to their epigenetic landscapes relying on specific core regulatory circuitries of transcription factors. Yet, their relationship and relative contribution in patient tumors remain to be defined. Here, we demonstrate that GATA3 but not PHOX2A or PHOX2B knock-out in noradrenergic cells induces a mesenchymal phenotype. We further document a spontaneous plasticity between the noradrenergic and mesenchymal identities in a subset of cell lines and identify transcription factors expressed in transition cells between the two states. Strikingly, mesenchymal neuroblastoma cells revert to a noradrenergic phenotype in vivo. Consistently, tumor cells with a mesenchymal identity are not detected in single-cell transcriptomic analyses of neuroblastoma tumors and PDX models. Our data also highlight neuroblastoma intra-tumor heterogeneity with the co-existence of distinct tumor populations, including sympathoblast-like and chromaffin-like cells suggesting that neuroblastoma cells arise from a common sympatho-adrenal progenitor.
Project description:Neuroblastoma (NB) comprises mesenchymal (MES) and adrenergic (ADRN) subtypes, and the cell identity is determined by core transcription factors (TFs). However, the binding mechanism of these TFs to DNA and the epigenetic mechanisms governing NB plasticity remain unclear. In this study, we investigated the impact of targeting SWI/SNF ATPases with SMARCA2/4 dual degraders on NB cells. Our results revealed that depletion of SWI/SNF ATPases compacted cis-regulatory elements, diminished enhancer activity, and displaced core TFs (MYCN, HAND2, PHOX2B, and GATA3) from DNA, suppressing transcriptional programs linked to plasticity and invasiveness. These findings underscore the pivotal role of SWI/SNF ATPases in driving NB progression, positioning them as promising therapeutic targets.
Project description:Neuroblastoma (NB) comprises mesenchymal (MES) and adrenergic (ADRN) subtypes, and the cell identity is determined by core transcription factors (TFs). However, the binding mechanism of these TFs to DNA and the epigenetic mechanisms governing NB plasticity remain unclear. In this study, we investigated the impact of targeting SWI/SNF ATPases with SMARCA2/4 dual degraders on NB cells. Our results revealed that depletion of SWI/SNF ATPases compacted cis-regulatory elements, diminished enhancer activity, and displaced core TFs (MYCN, HAND2, PHOX2B, and GATA3) from DNA, suppressing transcriptional programs linked to plasticity and invasiveness. These findings underscore the pivotal role of SWI/SNF ATPases in driving NB progression, positioning them as promising therapeutic targets.