Atrt-06. etmr tumorigenesis mirrors radial glial development

Abstract Embryonal tumors with multilayered rosettes (ETMRs) are rare pediatric brain tumors defined primarily by overexpression of the C19MC microRNA cluster. These tumors affect mostly children under the age of 3. However, little is known about the origin and developmental contexts of ETMRs. We hypothesized that the early onset of these tumors suggests an embryonic tumorigenic event. To elucidate the embryonic contexts of which ETMRs arise, we curated three mouse embryogenesis datasets representing the full spectrum of murine embryonic development. We generated timepoint structure signatures of this atlas and projected them onto a single nuclei RNA sequencing dataset of 8 primary ETMRs. Consistent with existing literature, we discovered that ETMRs resemble a spectrum of radial glial, neuronal, and oligodendrocytic cell types. We also recapitulated potential ETMR driver mechanisms such as overexpression of WNT and SHH signaling by gene set enrichment analysis. We validated the enrichment of lineage and driver markers through GSEA and marker gene enrichment in a separate cohort of ETMRs characterized by bulk RNA sequencing. Taken together, the embryonic context of ETMR development may play crucial roles in the early identification and treatments of this lethal disease.