SWI/SNF complexes govern ontology-specific transcription factor function in MYC-subtype atypical teratoid rhabdoid...

Atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumor (ATRT) is a deadly central nervous system embryonal tumor caused by loss of SMARCB1, a core subunit of SWItch/Sucrose Non-Fermentable (SWI/SNF) chromatin remodeling complexes. SMARCB1-deficient cancers are defined by loss of cell differentiation-associated enhancers, but how SWI/SNF interacts with other arbiters of cell differentiation (specifically lineage-specific transcription factors [TFs]) remains poorly understood.

We leveraged a multi-omics approach, patient-derived ATRT cells, and patient-derived orthotopic xenografts to investigate the interplay of SWI/SNF with lineage-specific TFs in a clinically relevant setting.

We observe that an activating protein 1 (AP-1)-dependent transcriptional regulatory network is lost in ATRT, and AP-1 and lineage-specific TFs TEAD1 and ZIC2 require SMARCB1 for enhancer binding. SMARCB1-dependent SWI/SNF integrates transcriptional functions of lineage-specific TFs into a core regulatory circuit that depends on the AP-1 subunit c-JUN, whose expression is determined by a SMARCB1-dependent super-enhancer that is lost in ATRT-MYC. In the absence of SMARCB1, lineage-specific TFs are sequestered to promoters, where they maintain core transcriptional programs necessary for cell survival. Targeting residual, promoter-proximal TF activity by a protein degrader of the SWI/SNF ATPase SMARCA4 or small-molecule inhibitors that indirectly inhibit AP-1 and TEAD activity abrogates expression of these networks, reducing cell viability in vitro and prolonging survival in an orthotopic patient-derived xenograft model.

These results demonstrate SWI/SNF complexes are critical for lineage-specific TF binding and activity at both promoters and enhancers. In the context of ATRT, these findings reveal a previously underappreciated therapeutic vulnerability in targeting residual promoter-proximal TF function in ATRT.