Subtype-specific epigenomic landscape and 3D genome structure in bladder cancer

Abstract

Muscle-invasive bladder cancers have recently been characterized by their distinct expression of luminal and basal genes, which could be used to predict key clinical features such as disease progression and overall survival. For example, FOXA1, GATA3, and PPARG have been shown to be essential for luminal subtype-specific regulation and subtype switching, while TP63 and STAT3 are critical for basal subtype bladder cancer. Despite these advances, the underlying epigenetic mechanism and 3D chromatin architecture for subtype-specific regulation in bladder cancers remains largely unknown. Here, we determined the genome-wide transcriptome, enhancer landscape, TF binding profiles (FOXA1 and GATA3) in luminal and basal subtypes of bladder cancers. Furthermore, we mapped genome-wide chromatin interactions by Hi-C in both bladder cancer cell lines and primary patient tumors, for the first time in bladder cancer. We showed that subtype-specific transcription is accompanied by specific open chromatin and epigenomic marks, at least partially driven by distinct TF binding at distal-enhancers of luminal and basal bladder cancers. Finally, we identified a novel clinically relevant transcriptional factor, Neuronal PAS Domain Protein 2 (NPAS2), in luminal bladder cancers that regulates other luminal-specific genes (such as FOXA1, GATA3, and PPARG) and affects cancer cell proliferation and migration. In summary, our work shows a subtype-specific epigenomic and 3D genome structure in urinary bladder cancers and suggested a novel link between the circadian TF NPAS2 and a clinical bladder cancer subtype.