Loss of Sox10 prevents tumor initiation in vivo and induces luminal-to-basal reprogramming in Neu+ tumor cells.

Progressive intestinal tumor cell plasticity, Myc activation, and loss of Lgr5+ tumor stem cell lineage commitment upon Wnt depletion

It is demonstrated that a plastic cell state (PCS) is present already in polyps from patients with familial adenomatous polyposis and in mouse intestinal adenomas, in which PCS is associated with PROX1+ tumor stem cells.

Longitudinal single cell RNA-sequencing of Pik3caH1047R-driven mammary tumorigenesis reveals coordinated transformation of epithelial and fibroblast transcriptional states

Breast cancer is a heterogeneous disease in which a single oncogenic driver can give rise to divergent tumor phenotypes. How oncogenic mutations generate epithelial state plasticity and coordinately remodel the surrounding tissue remains incompletely understood. Here, we applied longitudinal single cell RNA-sequencing to trace the mammary landscape during Pik3caH1047R-driven tumor progression in the mouse. We identify an expansion of the epithelial transcriptional state space, in which luminal cells lose lineage fidelity and activate ciliated, basal, and squamous-like gene expression programs. While oncogene-expressing cells lose features of luminal identity, they retain expression of hormone-sensing genes such as Esr1, Pgr, and Foxa1. These transcriptional states are established early, and the transition to overt tumors is marked by the emergence of cancer-associated fibroblasts rather than new epithelial states. We identify a Postn+ fibroblast population enriched at the epithelial interface as a candidate progenitor of cancer-associated fibroblasts. Postn+ fibroblasts express an ECM-remodeling program and display altered epithelial crosstalk in oncogenic glands. Altogether, Pik3caH1047R activation initiates a tissue-level process beginning with epithelial lineage infidelity, followed by an altered stromal microenvironment, which together mark tumor initiation.

CAF-derived TGF-β1 activates an LBH-mediated β-catenin stabilization program to drive gastric cancer progression

Aberrant Wnt/β-catenin signaling is frequently observed in gastric cancer (GC); however, the mechanisms sustaining this pathway in the absence of canonical genetic mutations remain incompletely understood. Here we show that the transcriptional cofactor LBH drives mutation-independent Wnt activation and malignant progression in GC via a tumour microenvironment-regulated post-translational stabilization mechanism. By integrating single-cell transcriptomics with multicentre clinical cohorts, we identify LBH as a principal regulator of epithelial–mesenchymal transition and peritoneal metastasis, and its elevated expression independently predicts poor patient survival. Mechanistically, fi broblast activation protein (FAP)-positive cancer-associated fi broblasts (CAFs) secrete TGF-β1, which selectively induces LBH expression in adjacent GC cells via the SMAD2/3 signaling cascade. Crucially, LBH physically interacts with β-catenin, providing steric hindrance that prevents destruction complex-mediated phosphorylation and subsequent ubiquitin-proteasomal degradation. This FAP⁺ CAF–TGF-β1–LBH–β-catenin paracrine axis continuously sustains global Wnt transcriptional output without requiring intrinsic genetic mutations. Our findings elucidate a critical tumour–stroma crosstalk mechanism and establish the targeted disruption of the LBH–β-catenin interaction interface as a clinically relevant therapeutic strategy for advanced gastric cancer.

SOX11 stimulates γδ T-cell differentiation and synergizes with LMO2 and MYCN to drive γδ-like T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Depletion of CARM1 slows in vivo tumorigenicity and rewires developmental programming in glioma stem-like cells.

Glioma stem-like cells (GSCs) exploit developmental signaling programs that contribute to glioblastoma heterogeneity and therapy resistance. Here, we define a role for the arginine methyltransferase coactivator-associated arginine methyltransferase 1 (CARM1) in regulating GSC lineage state and survival signaling. CARM1 depletion slows GSC growth, increases apoptosis, alters histone post-translational modifications, and shifts transcriptomic and proteomic profiles toward a radial glial-like state. Loss of CARM1 increases NGFR/NTRK signaling and sensitizes GSCs to NTRK and AKT inhibition. Mechanistically, NFIA is a CARM1 substrate, and mutation of NFIA arginine 389 increases NGFR expression, supporting a role for CARM1-dependent NFIA methylation in NGFR repression. In orthotopic xenografts, CARM1 depletion reduces tumor burden and prolongs survival. These findings identify CARM1 as a regulator of GSC developmental programs and NGFR/NTRK-dependent survival.

PRKCI-ECT2 copy number gain promotes developmental reprogramming and metastatic competence in lung adenocarcinoma.

Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) shows extensive lineage plasticity and early metastatic dissemination, but the oncogenic events that actively drive these processes remain poorly defined. Here, we identify coordinated PRKCI and ECT2 copy number gain, present in approximately 30% of human LUADs, as a driver of developmental reprogramming and metastasis. Using a genetically engineered mouse model that recapitulates PRKCI-ECT2 gain in Kras/Trp53-driven LUAD, we show that elevated PKCι-ECT2 signaling rewires tumor trajectory in a cell-of-origin-dependent manner. Alveolar type II cell-derived tumors dedifferentiate into a distal SOX9high progenitor-like state associated with aggressive growth and liver metastasis, whereas club cell-derived tumors transition into a foregut SOX2high progenitor-like state that supports lineage infidelity and histological transformation. Human LUAD analyses support these progenitor programs as clinically relevant features of PRKCI-ECT2 gain.