Cancer-specific epigenome identifies oncogenic hijacking by nuclear factor I family proteins for medulloblastoma progression

Normal cells coordinate proliferation and differentiation by precise tuning of gene expression based on the dynamic shifts of the epigenome throughout the developmental timeline. Although non-mutational epigenetic reprogramming is an emerging hallmark of cancer, the epigenomic shifts that occur during the transition from normal to malignant cells remain elusive. Here, we capture the epigenomic changes that occur during tumorigenesis in a prototypic embryonal brain tumor, medulloblastoma. By comparing the epigenomes of the different stages of transforming cells in mice, we identify nuclear factor I family of transcription factors, known to be cell fate determinants in development, as oncogenic regulators in the epigenomes of precancerous and cancerous cells. Furthermore, genetic and pharmacological inhibition of NFIB validated a crucial role of this transcription factor by disrupting the cancer epigenome in medulloblastoma. Thus, this study exemplifies how epigenomic changes contribute to tumorigenesis via non-mutational mechanisms involving developmental transcription factors. [Display omitted] •Dynamic chromatin changes occur along medulloblastoma (MB) formation•Developmental factors NFIA and NFIB act as oncogenes in MB cancer epigenome•Inhibition of NFIB function may enhance molecularly targeted therapy•Epigenomic analyses may identify new targetable oncogenic mechanisms Shiraishi et al. explored chromatin accessibility in transforming neuronal progenitors into Sonic hedgehog subgroup medulloblastoma, identifying NFI proteins as key regulators of cancer- and cell-cycle-related genes according to their chromatin accessibilities. These findings underscore the significance of cancer epigenomes in promoting oncogenicity through non-mutational developmental transcriptional factors.