NAT10-dependent N4-acetylcytidine (ac4C) reprograms R-loops and promotes cancer stem cell growth

ABSTRACT: R-loop remodeling dynamically regulates chromatin states and gene expression; however, its exploitation by cancer to sustain self-renewal and malignancy remains poorly understood. Here, we found that glioblastoma (GBM) stem cells (GSCs) display highly active R-loops compared to differentiated tumor progeny and neural stem cells (NSCs). Genome-wide mapping by R-loop RNA chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing (RR-ChIP-seq) revealed cell-specific enrichment and spatial accumulation of R-loops at promoter-proximal regions in GSCs, correlating with active transcription and open chromatin states. We profiled R-loop interactomes and identified N-Acetyltransferase 10 (NAT10), an RNA N4-acetylcytidine (ac4C)-modifying enzyme, as a high-affinity R-loop-binding protein in GSCs. Driven by transcriptional activation via OLIG1, NAT10 was overexpressed in GSCs. ac4C-specific RNA immunoprecipitation sequencing (ac4C-RIP-seq) on R-loop RNA revealed genome-wide mapping of ac4C-modified R-loops with abundant ac4C-modified R-loops that regulated the genome. NAT10 catalyzed widespread ac4C deposition on the RNA stand of R-loops, stabilizing promoter-associated R-loops, and facilitating open chromatin to sustain self-renewal through core stemness regulators, including transcription factor EGR1. NAT10 knockdown suppressed proliferation and maintenance in vitro and attenuated tumor growth in vivo. Pharmacological inhibition of NAT10/ac4C-modified R-loops using the small-molecule inhibitor remodelin phenocopied NAT10 genetic targeting, demonstrating therapeutic promise for targeting cancer.

INSTRUMENT(S):

ORGANISM(S): Homo Sapiens (human)

TISSUE(S): Cell Suspension Culture, Permanent Cell Line Cell, Stem Cell, Cell Culture

DISEASE(S): Glioblastoma

SUBMITTER: Weichi Wu  

LAB HEAD: Jeremy Naftali Rich

PROVIDER: PXD077002 | Pride | 2026-04-10

REPOSITORIES: pride