Loss of Sox10 prevents tumor initiation in vivo and induces luminal-to-basal reprogramming in Neu+ tumor cells

The SRY-HMG-Box transcription factor SOX10 plays a critical role in neural crest development, but its function in epithelial tumorigenesis remains unclear. Here, we identify SOX10 as a key regulator of tumor-initiating activity in Neu-driven mammary cancers. Genetic ablation of Sox10 in the luminal compartment of MMTV-Neu (NIC) mice resulted in delayed but normal mammary gland development. Sox10 deletion conferred a dose-dependent delay in tumor onset, with a complete loss of tumor initiation in Sox10-deficient luminal cells. CRISPR/Cas9-mediated Sox10 inactivation in Neu-transformed tumor cells led to reduced 3D invasion and diminished self-renewal in mammosphere assays. Established Sox10-null cell lines exhibited markedly impaired growth in orthotopic transplant models and failed to colonize lung tissue following tail vein injection, suggesting a loss of tumor-initiating capacity. Transcriptomic profiling revealed that Sox10-deficiency in Neu+ tumor cells induces a luminal-to-basal/stem-like shift and the downregulation of several genes associated with genetic networks regulating stemness. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that Sox10 is required for a permissive cell progenitor state for Neu-driven tumor initiation and that it is critical to sustain the invasive and self-renewing traits that drive tumor progression and metastasis.