Highlights
- •Oncogenic EGFRvIII mutation remodels the enhancer landscape in GBM
- •EGFRvIII induces SOX9 and FOXG1 transcription in GBM
- •SOX9 and FOXG1 collaborate to activate an oncogenic gene regulatory program
- •EGFRvIII-dependent transcription sensitizes GBM cells to JQ1
Summary
Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene amplification and mutations are the most common oncogenic events in glioblastoma (GBM), but the mechanisms by which they promote aggressive tumor growth are not well understood. Here, through integrated epigenome and transcriptome analyses of cell lines, genotyped clinical samples, and TCGA data, we show that EGFR mutations remodel the activated enhancer landscape of GBM, promoting tumorigenesis through a SOX9 and FOXG1-dependent transcriptional regulatory network in vitro and in vivo. The most common EGFR mutation, EGFRvIII, sensitizes GBM cells to the BET-bromodomain inhibitor JQ1 in a SOX9, FOXG1-dependent manner. These results identify the role of transcriptional/epigenetic remodeling in EGFR-dependent pathogenesis and suggest a mechanistic basis for epigenetic therapy.
