Glioblastoma epigenome profiling identifies SOX10 as a master regulator of molecular tumour subtype - tumour methylation microarray data

Glioblastomas in adult patients are classified into four subtypes, IDH, MES, RTK I, and RTK II, based on DNA-methylation and RNA-expression data. Tumour subtype transitions are common during treatment, and transitions to the mesenchymal (MES) subtype are associated with therapy resistance and adverse prognosis. Here, we present DNA methylome and histone modification data of glioblastoma primary tumours and find that glioblastoma subtypes differ in their enhancer landscapes. Using Core Regulatory Circuitry analysis of chromatin and orthogonal analysis of RNA-derived gene regulatory networks, we identified 38 subtype Master Regulators whose cell population-specific activities we further mapped in single-cell RNA sequencing data. These analyses identified the oligodendrocyte precursor marker and chromatin modifier SRY-Box 10 (SOX10) as a master regulator in RTK I tumours. In vitro functional studies demonstrated that SOX10 loss causes a subtype switch analogous to the proneural-mesenchymal Transition observed in patients at the transcriptomic, epigenetic and phenotypic levels. This subtype transition is dependent on the activity of the SOX10 and enhancer co-factor Bromodomain Containing 4 (BRD4). Sox10 repression in an in vivo syngeneic graft glioblastoma mouse model results in increased tumour invasion, immune cell infiltration and significantly reduced survival, reminiscent of progressive human glioblastoma. These results identify SOX10 as a bona fide master regulator of the RTK I subtype, with both tumour cell-intrinsic and microenvironmental effects, highlighting that both glioblastoma cell plasticity and their tumour-microenvironment interactions are important contributors to tumour phenotypes. 60 adult GBs were profiled on the Illumina human 450k and EPIC methylation microarrays. A previously used classifier (see Sturm et al., Cancer Cell, 2012; doi: 10.1016/j.ccr.2012.08.024) consisting of 7386 shared probes on both platforms was used to subtype the tumours (IDH: 12; MES: 18; RTK I: 12; RTK II: 18). Raw data requires controlled access and is deposited at EGA under study EGAS00001003230