Tissue-reactive zonation of mesenchymal-like phenotypes in human glioblastoma

BACKGROUND: Glioblastoma is the deadliest brain cancer, characterized by large cellular diversity. Both neurodevelopment-like and mesenchymal-like cell states have been described, with the latter being strongly implicated in malignancy and disease progression. However, the spatial organization of these mesenchymal-like cell states has not been systematically described outside the tumor bulk.

METHODS: We performed deep single-cell RNA sequencing of rare glioblastoma cases where tissue could be sampled from tumor core to macroscopically normal cortex and 888-plex enhanced electric single-molecule fluorescence in situ hybridization (EEL-FISH) spatial transcriptomics on a large cohort of standard resections. We also established four glioblastoma organoid lines to test in vitro inducibility of mesenchymal-like cell states under hypoxia and blood plasma exposure.

FINDINGS: We discovered that previously defined mesenchymal-like tumor cell states were shared across both malignant and non-malignant cell types and spatially confined to the tumor bulk. Peripheral regions were instead dominated by neurodevelopment-like tumor states and endogenous microglia. In patient-derived organoids and non-malignant astrocytes, the mesenchymal transcriptional state could be reversibly induced in vitro by hypoxia and human plasma, indicative of a wound response. Multiplex single-molecule spatial transcriptomics revealed that the activation of mesenchymal-like states was associated with hypoxia and organized by distance to perivascular niches.

CONCLUSIONS: Our findings clarify the cellular landscape and biology of glioblastoma, wherein the mesenchymal state arises at least partly as a reactive tissue state shared by all cells in the tumor bulk.

FUNDING: This work was supported by Region Stockholm, Erling-Persson Family Foundation (Atlas of Childhood Disease), Hjärnfonden (FO2023-0309), Swedish Research Council (2022-01248), and Torsten Söderberg Foundation.