Mesenchymal loss of p53 alters stem cell capacity and models human soft tissue sarcoma traits

Stem Cell Reports. 2023 May 9;18(5):1211-1226. doi: 10.1016/j.stemcr.2023.03.009. Epub 2023 Apr 13.

Abstract

Soft tissue sarcomas (STSs) are a heterogeneous group of tumors that originate from mesenchymal cells. p53 is frequently mutated in human STS. In this study, we found that the loss of p53 in mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) mainly causes adult undifferentiated soft tissue sarcoma (USTS). MSCs lacking p53 show changes in stem cell properties, including differentiation, cell cycle progression, and metabolism. The transcriptomic changes and genetic mutations in murine p53-deficient USTS mimic those seen in human STS. Furthermore, single-cell RNA sequencing revealed that MSCs undergo transcriptomic alterations with aging-a risk factor for certain types of USTS-and that p53 signaling decreases simultaneously. Moreover, we found that human STS can be transcriptomically classified into six clusters with different prognoses, different from the current histopathological classification. This study paves the way for understanding MSC-mediated tumorigenesis and provides an efficient mouse model for sarcoma studies.

Keywords: bone marrow; exome sequencing; mesenchymal stem cells; p53; single-cell RNA sequencing; soft tissue sarcoma; stem cell aging; stem cell metabolism.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Animals
  • Carcinogenesis / pathology
  • Cell Transformation, Neoplastic / metabolism
  • Humans
  • Mesenchymal Stem Cells* / metabolism
  • Mice
  • Sarcoma* / genetics
  • Sarcoma* / metabolism
  • Sarcoma* / pathology
  • Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 / genetics
  • Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 / metabolism

Substances

  • Tumor Suppressor Protein p53
  • TP53 protein, human