Single‐Nucleus Multi‐Omics Reveals Hypoxia‐Driven Angiogenic Programs and Their Epigenetic Control in Sinonasal Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Sinonasal squamous cell carcinoma (SNSCC) is a rare malignancy with poorly understood molecular drivers. Consequently, its cellular composition and tumor microenvironment (TME) remain largely undefined. Here, we performed integrated bulk and single-nucleus multi-omic analyses to map the SNSCC ecosystem. Within the malignant compartment, we identified five distinct populations, with hypoxic (TC1) and proliferative (TC2) subtypes associated with adverse clinical outcomes. Functionally, TC1 cells orchestrate a hypoxia-driven angiogenic program via coordinated secretion of adrenomedullin (ADM), MIF, and VEGFA, promoting endothelial tip cell (EC1) differentiation. Integrative analysis revealed these transcriptional programs are underpinned by tumor-specific chromatin accessibility and DNA hypomethylation, particularly at AP-1-enriched regulatory elements. Mechanistically, in vitro studies confirmed that this response depends on cooperative AP-1 and HIF1A signaling. Furthermore, histological analysis of patient tissues demonstrated spatial co-localization of GLUT1-expressing TC1 cells with DLL4-positive EC1 cells. These findings elucidate the epigenetic landscape underlying tumor-stromal interactions and establish the ADM/VEGFA axis as a critical therapeutic target to disrupt epigenetically controlled angiogenesis in SNSCC.
Authors
- Geunho Kwon
- S. H. Lee
- Ji Heui Kim (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9215-6867)
- J.-H. Park (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0009-8636-0317)
- Junho Noh
- YOO‐SAM CHUNG
- Kyuho Kang
- Chaelin You
- Jung Yeon Jang
- Myeong Sang Yu
- Keunsoo Kang
- Jaehyun Lee
- Jihwan Park
Institutions
- Chungbuk National University (KR)
- Asan Medical Center (KR)
- New Generation University College (ET)
- Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (KR)
- University of Ulsan (KR)
- Dankook University (KR)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Advanced Science
- Published
- 2026-01-07
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202510302
- Citations
- 1
- Primary Topic
- Neuropeptides and Animal Physiology
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 23.21
Funders
- National Research Foundation
- Korea Health Industry Development Institute
- National Research Foundation of Korea
- Asan Institute for Life Sciences, Asan Medical Center
- Ministry of Science and ICT, South Korea