Re-expression of SMARCA4/BRG1 in Small Cell Carcinoma of Ovary, Hypercalcemic Type (SCCOHT) promotes an epithelial-like gene signature through an AP-1-dependent mechanism

Small cell carcinoma of the ovary, hypercalcemic type (SCCOHT) is a rare and aggressive form of ovarian cancer. SCCOHT tumors have inactivating mutations in SMARCA4 (BRG1), one of the two mutually exclusive ATPases of the SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complex. To address the role that BRG1 loss plays in SCCOHT tumorigenesis, we performed integrative multi-omic analyses in SCCOHT cell lines +/- BRG1 re-expression. BRG1 re-expression induced a gene and protein signature similar to an epithelial cell and gained chromatin accessibility sites correlated with other epithelial originating TCGA tumors. Furthermore, AP-1 motifs were enriched at the promoters of highly upregulated epithelial genes. Using a dominant negative AP-1 cell line, we found that both AP-1 DNA binding activity and BRG1 re-expression are necessary for the gene and protein expression of epithelial genes. Our study demonstrates that BRG1 re-expression drives an epithelial-like gene and protein signature in SCCOHT cells that depends upon AP-1 activity.