NOTCH-YAP1/TEAD-DNMT1 axis regulates hepatocyte reprogramming into intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma

Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC), a disease of poor prognosis, has increased in incidence. It is challenging to treat due to intra- and inter-tumoral heterogeneity, which in part is attributed to diverse cellular origin. Indeed, co-expression of AKT and NICD in hepatocytes (HCs) yielded ICC, with similarity to proliferative, Notch-activated, and stem cell-like subclasses of clinical ICC. NICD regulated SOX9 and YAP1 during ICC development. Yap1 deletion or TEAD inhibition impaired HC-to-biliary epithelial cell (BEC) reprogramming and ICC proliferation; Sox9 loss repressed tumor growth; and Yap1-Sox9 combined loss abolished ICC development in AKT-NICD model. DNMT1 was discovered as a novel downstream effector of YAP1-TEAD complex that directed HC-to-BEC/ICC fate-switch. DNMT1 loss prevented Notch-dependent HC-to-ICC development, and DNMT1 re-expression restored ICC development following TEAD repression. Coexpression of DNMT1 with AKT was sufficient to induce hepatic tumor development including ICC. Thus, we have identified a novel NOTCH-YAP1/TEAD-DNMT1 axis essential for HC-driven ICC development.SIGNIFICANCEWe evaluated the clinical relevance of hepatocyte-driven ICC model and revealed critical but distinct roles of YAP1 and SOX9 in AKT-NICD-driven hepatocyte-derived ICC. We also identified NOTCH-YAP1/TEAD-DNMT1 axis as a critical driver for hepatocyte-to-ICC reprogramming, which might have biological and therapeutic implications in ICC subsets.