Whole-Genome DNA Methylation Profiling of Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma Reveals Prognostic Subtypes with Distinct Biological Drivers

Abstract

Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA) is the second most prevalent primary liver cancer. While the genetic characterization of iCCA has led to targeted therapies for treating tumors with FGFR2 alterations and IDH1/2 mutations, only a limited number of patients can benefit from these strategies. Epigenomic profiles have emerged as potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for improving treatment of cancers. In this study, we conducted whole-genome bisulfite sequencing on 331 iCCAs integrated with genetic, transcriptomic, and proteomic analyses, demonstrating the existence of four DNA methylation subtypes of iCCAs (S1-S4) that exhibited unique post-operative clinical outcomes. The S1 group was an IDH1/2-mutation-specific subtype with moderate survival. The S2 subtype was characterized by the lowest methylation level and the highest mutational burden among the four subtypes and displayed upregulation of a gene expression pattern associated with cell cycle/DNA replication. The S3 group was distinguished by high inter-patient heterogeneity of tumor immunity, a gene expression pattern associated with carbohydrate metabolism, and an enrichment of KRAS alterations. Patients with the S2 and S3 subtypes had the shortest survival among the four subtypes. Tumors in the S4 subtype, which had the best prognosis, showed global methylation levels comparable to normal controls, increased FGFR2 fusions/BAP1 mutations, and the highest copy number variant burdens. Further integrative and functional analyses identified GBP4 demethylation, which is highly prevalent in the S2 and S3 groups, as an epigenetic oncogenic factor that regulates iCCA proliferation, migration, and invasion. Together, this study identifies prognostic methylome alterations and epigenetic drivers in iCCA.