SOX1 is correlated to stemness state regulator SALL4 through progression and invasiveness of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Potential markers of cancer stem-like cells in ESCC: a review of the current knowledge

In patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), the incidence and mortality rate of ESCC in our country are also higher than those in the rest of the world. Despite advances in the treatment department method, patient survival rates have not obviously improved, which often leads to treatment obstruction and cancer repeat. ESCC has special cells called cancer stem-like cells (CSLCs) with self-renewal and differentiation ability, which reflect the development process and prognosis of cancer. In this review, we evaluated CSLCs, which are identified from the expression of cell surface markers in ESCC. By inciting EMTs to participate in tumor migration and invasion, stem cells promote tumor redifferentiation. Some factors can inhibit the migration and invasion of ESCC via the EMT-related pathway. We here summarize the research progress on the surface markers of CSLCs, EMT pathway, and the microenvironment in the process of tumor growth. Thus, these data may be more valuable for clinical applications.

Identifying potential DNA methylation markers for the detection of esophageal cancer in plasma

Background: Esophageal cancer (EC) is a leading cause of cancer-related deaths in China, with the 5-year survival rate reaching less than 30%, because most cases were diagnosed and treated at the advanced stage. However, there is still a lack of low-cost, efficient, and accurate non-invasive methods for the early detection of EC at present. Methods: A total of 48 EC plasma and 101 control plasma samples were collected in a training cohort from 1 January 2021 to 31 December 2021, and seven cancer-related DNA methylation markers (ELMO1, ZNF582, FAM19A4, PAX1, C13orf18, JAM3 and TERT) were tested in these samples to select potential markers. In total, 20 EC, 10 gastric cancer (GC), 10 colorectal cancer (CRC), and 20 control plasma samples were collected in a validation cohort to evaluate the two-gene panel. Results: ZNF582, FAM19A4, JAM3, or TERT methylation in plasma was shown to significantly distinguish EC and control subjects (p < 0.05), and the combination of ZNF582 and FAM19A4 methylation was the two-gene panel that exhibited the best performance for the detection of EC with 60.4% sensitivity (95% CI: 45.3%-73.9%) and 83.2% specificity (95% CI: 74.1%-89.6%) in the training cohort. The performance of this two-gene panel showed no significant difference between different age and gender groups. When the two-gene panel was combined with CEA, the sensitivity for EC detection was further improved to 71.1%. In the validation cohort, the sensitivity of the two-gene panel for detecting EC, GC, and CRC was 60.0%, 30.0%, and 30.0%, respectively, with a specificity of 90.0%. Conclusion: The identified methylation marker panel provided a potential non-invasive strategy for EC detection, but further validation should be performed in more clinical centers.

Identifying C1QB, ITGAM, and ITGB2 as potential diagnostic candidate genes for diabetic nephropathy using bioinformatics analysis

Background

Diabetic nephropathy (DN), the most intractable complication in diabetes patients, can lead to proteinuria and progressive reduction of glomerular filtration rate (GFR), which seriously affects the quality of life of patients and is associated with high mortality. However, the lack of accurate key candidate genes makes diagnosis of DN very difficult. This study aimed to identify new potential candidate genes for DN using bioinformatics, and elucidated the mechanism of DN at the cellular transcriptional level.

Methods

The microarray dataset GSE30529 was downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus Database (GEO), and the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were screened by R software. We used Gene Ontology (GO), gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA), and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis to identify the signal pathways and genes. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks were constructed using the STRING database. The GSE30122 dataset was selected as the validation set. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were applied to evaluate the predictive value of genes. An area under curve (AUC) greater than 0.85 was considered to be of high diagnostic value. Several online databases were used to predict miRNAs and transcription factors (TFs) capable of binding hub genes. Cytoscape was used for constructing a miRNA-mRNA-TF network. The online database 'nephroseq' predicted the correlation between genes and kidney function. The serum level of creatinine, BUN, and albumin, and the urinary protein/creatinine ratio of the DN rat model were detected. The expression of hub genes was further verified through qPCR. Data were analyzed statistically using Student's t-test by the 'ggpubr' package.

Results

A total of 463 DEGs were identified from GSE30529. According to enrichment analysis, DEGs were mainly enriched in the immune response, coagulation cascades, and cytokine signaling pathways. Twenty hub genes with the highest connectivity and several gene cluster modules were ensured using Cytoscape. Five high diagnostic hub genes were selected and verified by GSE30122. The MiRNA-mRNA-TF network suggested a potential RNA regulatory relationship. Hub gene expression was positively correlated with kidney injury. The level of serum creatinine and BUN in the DN group was higher than in the control group (unpaired t test, t = 3.391, df = 4, p = 0.0275, r = 0.861). Meanwhile, the DN group had a higher urinary protein/creatinine ratio (unpaired t test, t = 17.23, df = 16, p < 0.001, r = 0.974). QPCR results showed that the potential candidate genes for DN diagnosis included C1QB, ITGAM, and ITGB2.

Conclusions

We identified C1QB, ITGAM and ITGB2 as potential candidate genes for DN diagnosis and therapy and provided insight into the mechanisms of DN development at transcriptome level. We further completed the construction of miRNA-mRNA-TF network to propose potential RNA regulatory pathways adjusting disease progression in DN.

Transcriptome analysis reveals high tumor heterogeneity with respect to re-activation of stemness and proliferation programs

Significant alterations in signaling pathways and transcriptional regulatory programs together represent major hallmarks of many cancers. These, among all, include the reactivation of stemness, which is registered by the expression of pathways that are active in the embryonic stem cells (ESCs). Here, we assembled gene sets that reflect the stemness and proliferation signatures and used them to analyze a large panel of RNA-seq data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) Consortium in order to specifically assess the expression of stemness-related and proliferation-related genes across a collection of different tumor types. We introduced a metric that captures the collective similarity of the expression profile of a tumor to that of ESCs, which showed that stemness and proliferation signatures vary greatly between different tumor types. We also observed a high degree of intertumoral heterogeneity in the expression of stemness- and proliferation-related genes, which was associated with increased hazard ratios in a fraction of tumors and mirrored by high intratumoral heterogeneity and a remarkable stemness capacity in metastatic lesions across cancer cells in single cell RNA-seq datasets. Taken together, these results indicate that the expression of stemness signatures is highly heterogeneous and cannot be used as a universal determinant of cancer. This calls into question the universal validity of diagnostic tests that are based on stem cell markers.

MiR-155-5p suppresses SOX1 to promote proliferation of cholangiocarcinoma via RAF/MEK/ERK pathway

Background

Accumulating evidence has demonstrated the close relation of SOX1 with tumorigenesis and tumor progression. Upregulation of SOX1 was recently shown to suppress growth of human cancers. However, the expression and role of SOX1 in cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is not well characterized.

Methods

Expression levels of SOX1 in CCA tissues and normal bile duct tissues were examined using public GEO database. Western blot and immunohistochemistry were used to confirm the expression levels. Cell proliferation assay (CCK-8) and colony formation assay were performed to assess proliferation of CCA cells. A mouse model of subcutaneous transplantable tumors was used to evaluated proliferation of CCA in vivo. The putative regulating factor of SOX1 were determined using Targetscan and dual-luciferase reporter assay.

Results

SOX1 was downregulated in CCA tissues. Overexpression of SOX1 significantly inhibited cell proliferation in vitro and suppressed tumor growth in vivo. miR-155-5p directly targeted the 3′-untranslated region (3′UTR) of SOX1 and inhibited expression of SOX1, resulting in the activation of RAF, MEK and ERK phosphorylation, and thus CCA proliferation. However, restoration of SOX1 expression in miR-155-5p overexpressing cell lines decreased the phosphorylation level of RAF, MEK and ERK, as well as the proliferation of CCA cells.

Conclusion

MiR-155-5p decreased the expression of SOX1 by binding to its 3′UTR, which activated the RAF/MEK/ERK signaling pathway and promoted CCA progression.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12935-021-02374-0.

Construction of miRNA-mRNA-TF Regulatory Network for Diagnosis of Gastric Cancer

Gastric cancer (GC), as an epidemic cancer worldwide, has more than 1 million new cases and an estimated 769,000 deaths worldwide in 2020, ranking fifth and fourth in global morbidity and mortality. In mammals, both miRNAs and transcription factors (TFs) play a partial role in gene expression regulation. The mRNA expression profile and miRNA expression profile of GEO database were screened by GEO2R for differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and differentially expressed miRNAs (DEMs). Then, DAVID annotated the functions of DEGs to understand the functions played in biological processes. The prediction of potential target genes of miRNA and key TFs of mRNA was performed by mipathDB V2.0 and CHEA3, respectively, and the gene list comparison was performed to look for overlapping genes coregulated by key TFs and DEMs. Finally, the obtained miRNAs, TF, and overlapping genes were used to construct the miRNA-mRNA-TF regulatory network, which was verified by RT-qPCR. 76 upregulated DEGs, 199 downregulated DEGs, and 3 upregulated miRNAs (miR-199a-3p/miR-199b-3p, miR-125b-5p, and miR-199a-5p) were identified from the expression profiles of mRNA (GSE26899, GSE29998, GSE51575, and GSE13911) and miRNA (GSE93415), respectively. Through database prediction and gene list comparison, it was found that among the 199 downregulated DEGs, 61, 71, and 69 genes were the potential targets of miR-199a-3p/miR-199b-3p, miR-125b-5p, and miR-199a-5p, respectively. 199 downregulated DEGs were used as the gene list for the prediction of key TFs, and the results showed that RFX6 ranked the highest. The potential target overlap genes of miR-199a-3p/miR-199b-3p, miR-125b-5p, and miR-199a-5p were 4 genes (SH3GL2, ATP4B, CTSE, and SORBS2), 7 genes (SLC7A8, RNASE4, ESRRG, PGC, MUC6, Fam3B, and FMO5), and 6 genes (CHGA, PDK4, TMPRSS2, CLIC6, GPX3, and PSCA), respectively. Finally, we constructed a miRNA-mRNA-TF regulatory network based on the above 17 mRNAs, 3 miRNAs, and 1 TF and verified by RT-qPCR and western blot results that the expression of RFX6 was downregulated in GC tissues. These identified miRNAs, mRNAs, and TF have a certain reference value for further exploration of the regulatory mechanism of GC.

Cervical cancer progression is regulated by SOX transcription factors: Revealing signaling networks and therapeutic strategies

Cervical cancer is the fourth common gynecologic cancer and is considered as second leading cause of death among women. Various strategies are applied in treatment of cervical cancer including radiotherapy, chemotherapy and surgery. However, cervical cancer cells demonstrate aggressive behavior in advanced phases, requiring novel strategies in their elimination. On the other hand, SOX proteins are transcription factors capable of regulating different molecular pathways and their expression varies during embryogenesis, disease development and carcinogenesis. In the present review, our aim is to reveal role of SOX transcription factors in cervical cancer. SOX transcription factors play like a double-edged sword in cancer. For instance, SOX9 possesses both tumor-suppressor and tumor-promoting role in cervical cancer. Therefore, exact role of each SOX members in cervical cancer has been discussed to direct further experiments for revealing other functions. SOX proteins can regulate proliferation and metastasis of cervical cancer cells. Furthermore, response of cervical cancer cells to chemotherapy and radiotherapy is tightly regulated by SOX transcription factors. Different downstream targets of SOX proteins such as Wnt signaling, EMT and Hedgehog have been identified. Besides, upstream mediators such as microRNAs, lncRNAs and circRNAs can regulate SOX expression in cervical cancer. In addition to pre-clinical studies, role of SOX transcription factors as prognostic and diagnostic tools in cervical cancer has been shown.

A new gene panel as a marker for ESCC poor prognosis; INPP5A, TWIST1, MMP2, and EGFR

PURPOSE

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is categorized among ten common aggressive malignancies, with a higher incidence and mortality rates in the developing than in developed countries. The inositol polyphosphate 5-phosphatase (INPP5A), as an intracellular-calcium mobilizer and modifier enzyme, facilitates cell responses to various stimuli. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), a transformation procedure, has a vital role in cancer progression and metastasis when epithelial cells lose their traits in favor of obtaining mesenchymal features. In this study, we analyzed the correlation between the expression of INPP5A and the involved genes in EMT pathway through the progression and development of the ESCCs.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The gene expression analyses of INPP5A, TWIST1, MMP-2, and EGFR were performed using relative comparative real-time PCR in 58 ESCCs patients compared to corresponding margin-normal esophageal tissues.

RESULTS

A significant inverse correlation between INPP5A and EGFR/MMP-2 mRNA expression was observed in tumor samples. Underexpression of INPP5A was significantly correlated with overexpression of TWIST1, MMP-2, and EGFR in different invasiveness and aggressiveness pathological features of the ESCCs (P ​< ​0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

The results propose a tumor suppressor role for INPP5A and oncogenic function for concomitant expression of the other genes in ESCC invasion and metastasis. The current study is the first report elucidating the correlation between the downregulation of INPP5A and upregulation of TWIST1, MMP-2, and EGFR in ESCC and introduces this panel of the genes as a marker for poor prognosis of the disease.

The role of SOX family transcription factors in gastric cancer

Gastric cancer (GC) is a leading cause of death worldwide. GC is the third-most common cause of cancer-related death after lung and colorectal cancer. It is also the fifth-most commonly diagnosed cancer. Accumulating evidence has revealed the role of signaling networks in GC progression. Identification of these molecular pathways can provide new insight into therapeutic approaches for GC. Several molecular factors involved in GC can play both onco-suppressor and oncogene roles. Sex-determining region Y (Sry)-box-containing (SOX) family members are transcription factors with a well-known role in cancer. SOX proteins can bind to DNA to regulate cellular pathways via a highly conserved domain known as high mobility group (HMG). In the present review, the roles of SOX proteins in the progression and/or inhibition of GC are discussed. The dual role of SOX proteins as tumor-promoting and tumor-suppressing factors is highlighted. SOX members can affect upstream mediators (microRNAs, long non-coding RNAs and NF-κB) and down-stream mediators (FAK, HIF-1α, CDX2 and PTEN) in GC. The possible role of anti-tumor compounds to target SOX pathway members in GC therapy is described. Moreover, SOX proteins may be used as diagnostic or prognostic biomarkers in GC.

SOX2/SALL4 stemness axis modulates Notch signaling genes to maintain self-renewal capacity of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Stemness phenotype is considered as the centerpiece of cancer biology due to its potential in conventional chemo-radiotherapy resistance and tumor recurrence after clinical intervention. This feature in tumor mass belongs to activation of core regulatory stemness factors and different cell signaling pathways in cancer stem cells. We aimed in this study to elucidate contribution of Notch signaling pathway in stemness state of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) through their relevance with stem cell markers SOX2 and SALL4. 50 ESCC tumor and related margin normal tissues were considered and categorized based on SOX2/SALL4 expression pattern, and mRNA levels of Notch signaling genes including ligands, receptors, target genes, and transcriptional coactivator were analyzed in the selected groups using qRT-PCR. Concomitant overexpression of stem cell markers SOX2 and SALL4 in ESCCs upregulated the involved genes in Notch signaling pathway. Upregulation of Notch pathway genes associated with depth of tumor invasion and lymph node metastasis of ESCC. Based on biological function of SOX2 and SALL4 axis in stemness state potential, our results may suggest contribution of Notch signaling pathway in self-renewal capacity of ESCCs, as well as invasion and metastasis of the disease. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report elucidating the crosstalk between SOX2/SALL4 stemness factors and Notch signaling pathway in cancer research.

MEIS1 promotes expression of stem cell markers in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

BACKGROUND

MEIS1 (Myeloid ecotropic viral integration site 1) as a homeobox (HOX) transcription factor plays regulatory roles in a variety of cellular processes including development, differentiation, survival, apoptosis and hematopoiesis, as well as stem cell regulation. Few studies have established pluripotency and self-renewal regulatory roles for MEIS1 in human esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), and our aim in this study was to evaluate the functional correlation between MEIS1 and the stemness markers in ESCC patients and cell line KYSE-30.

METHODS

Expression pattern of MEIS1 and SALL4 gene expression was analyzed in different pathological features of ESCC patients. shRNA in retroviral vector was used for constantly silencing of MEIS1 mRNA in ESCC line (KYSE-30). Knockdown of MEIS1 gene and the expression pattern of selected stemness markers including SALL4, OCT4, BMI-1, HIWI, NANOG, PLK1, and KLF4 were evaluated using real-time PCR.

RESULTS

Significant correlations were observed between MEIS1 and stemness marker SALL4 in different early pathological features of ESCC including non-invaded tumors, and the tumors with primary stages of progression. Retroviral knockdown of MEIS1 in KYSE-30 cells caused a noteworthy underexpression of both MEIS1 and major involved markers in stemness state of the cells including SALL4, OCT4, BMI-1, HIWI and KLF4.

CONCLUSIONS

The results highlight the important potential role of MEIS1 in modulating stemness properties of ESCCs and cells KYSE-30. These findings may confirm the linkage between MEIS1 and self-renewal capacity in ESCC and support probable oncogenic role for MEIS1 in the disease.

The MRTF-A/miR-155/SOX1 pathway mediates gastric cancer migration and invasion

Background

Gastric cancer (GC) is the leading cause of death worldwide and is closely related to metastasis. MRTF-A is one of the most well-characterized genetic markers in cancer. However, the mechanism whereby MRTF-A mediate gastric cancer (GC) tumorigenesis is not fully clear. Increasing evidence has confirmed that miRNA dysregulation is involved in MRTF-A-mediated tumorigenesis, supporting their potential as therapeutic targets for cancer. Although miR-155 has been reported as an upregulated miRNA, the interplay between miR-155 and MRTF-A-mediated gastric cancer progression remain largely elusive.

Methods

Real-time PCR was performed to determine miR-155 expression after transfected with MRTF-A encoding plasmids and siRNA. Potential target genes were identified by Western blot and luciferase reporter assay. Chip assay was proved that MRTF-A binds in the promoter region of miR-155. Transwell assay and Scratch-healing migration assay was used to investigate the role of MRTF-A and SOX1 in gastric cancer cell migration and invasion.

Results

MRTF-A can interact with the miR-155 promoter to promote histone acetylation and RNA polymerase II recruitment via the Wnt-β-catenin pathway. miR-155 promotes gastric cancer cell migration by suppressing SOX1 expressiom by targeting its 3′UTR in vitro and in vivo. MRTF-A inhibited the inhibitory effects of SOX1 on gastric cancer cell migration by promoting the express -ion of miR-155.

Conclusion

Our data therefore provide important and novel insights into how the MRTF-A/miR-155/SOX1 pathway mediates migration and invasion in GC.

Crosstalk between MEIS1 and markers of different cell signaling pathways in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

The homeobox transcription factor MEIS1 is involved in cell fate decision, stem cells properties, gastrointestinal (GI) tract development, and progression of several malignancies such as esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Increasing evidences suggest the crosstalk between MEIS1 and cell signaling pathways. Therefore, our aim in present study was to investigate the probable linkage of MEIS1 expression with key genes of different cell signaling pathways in ESCC tumorigenesis, and their correlation with clinicopathological feature of the patients. The gene expression profiling of MEIS1 and different cell signaling genes including SALL4, SIZN1, and HEY1 (stemness state, BMP, and NOTCH signaling pathways, respectively) was performed using quantitative real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in fresh tumoral compared to margin normal tissues of 50 treatment-naive ESCC samples. The mRNA expression of MEIS1/SIZN1, SIZN1/HEY1, and SIZN1/SALL4 were significantly associated to each other (P < 0.05). There were remarkable correlations between concomitant mRNA expression of MEIS1 and SIZN1 in tumors with invasion to adventitia, early stages of tumor progression and poorly differentiated tumors. Moreover, expression of MEIS1 and HEY1 was correlated to each other in primary stages of tumor progression and non-invaded tumors. Expression of MEIS1 was significantly associated with SALL4 in poorly differentiated tumors. Our results indicated that correlation between different cell signaling pathway-related genes may lead to esophageal tumorigenesis. It is illustrated that MEIS1 as a HOX gene has a significant correlation with stemness state, BMP, and NOTCH signaling pathways via the SIZN1.

TWIST1, MMP-21, and HLAG-1 co-overexpression is associated with ESCC aggressiveness

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is one of the most aggressive types of cancer, requiring reliable biomarkers for prognosis and therapeutic responsiveness. TWIST1, as an important factor responsible for metastasis of several cancers, is involved in tumor invasion and metastasis through indirectly regulation of MMP-21 expression. On the other hand, NF-ĸβ which is a regulator of HLAG-1 has direct interaction with TWIST1 protein. In this retrospective study we investigated the clinical significance of TWIST1, MMP-21, and HLAG-1 expression in ESCC, and the possible correlation between these genes and progression of the disease. The gene expression analyses of TWIST1, MMP-21, and HLA-G1 were performed by relative comparative real-time polymerase chain reaction in 58 ESCCs compared with corresponding margin-normal esophageal tissues. Significant overexpression of HLAG-1, TWIST1, and MMP-21 messenger RNA was observed in 22.4%, 41.4%, and 60.3% of tumor samples, respectively. Concomitant overexpression of TWIST1/MMP-21 and TWIST1/HLAG-1 were significantly correlated to each other in various clinicopathological features, including depth of tumor invasion, stage of tumor progression, lymphatic invasion, and grade of tumor cell differentiation ( P < 0.05). The current study is the first report of coexpression of TWIST1, MMP-21, and HLAG-1 in ESCC. Such findings suggest an oncogenic role for concomitant expression of these genes in ESCC invasion and metastasis.

Cancer stem cell research in Iran: potentials and challenges

Treatment modalities can reduce cancer-related mortality; however, a majority of patients develop drug resistance, metastasis and relapse. It has been proposed that tumorigenic characteristics of tumors are related to a proportion of cancer cells, termed cancer stem cells (CSCs). Following the first evidence regarding the existence of CSC population in acute myeloid leukemia in 1997, publications in CSCs field showed an explosive trend in all cancer types around the world. First research paper in the field of CSCs in Iran was published in 2004 on prostate cancer. Subsequently, an annual number of publications in the field of CSCs displayed a rapidly growing trend. Therefore, in the current review, we have presented a comprehensive evaluation of the CSCs research in Iran.

No significant association between PIK3CA mutation and survival of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma: A meta-analysis

The prognostic value of phosphatidylinositol-4, 5-bisphosphate 3-kinase, catalytic subunit alpha (PIK3CA) in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is controversial. We aimed to investigate the prognostic significance of PIK3CA mutation in patients with ESCC. EMBASE, PubMed, and Web of Science databases were systematically searched from inception through Oct. 3, 2016. The hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated using a random effects model for overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS). Seven studies enrolling 1505 patients were eligible for inclusion of the current meta-analysis. Results revealed that PIK3CA mutation was not significantly associated with OS (HR: 0.90, 95% CI: 0.63-1.30, P=0.591), with a significant heterogeneity (I ²=65.7%, P=0.012). Additionally, subgroup analyses were further conducted according to various variables, such as types of specimen, the sample size, technique and statistical methodology. All results suggested that no significant relationship was found between PIK3CA mutation and OS in patients with ESCC. For DFS, there was no significant association between PIK3CA mutation and DFS in patients with ESCC (HR: 1.00, 95% CI=0.47-2.11, P=0.993, I ²=73.7%). Publication bias was not present and the results of sensitivity analysis were very stable in the current meta-analysis. Our findings suggest that PIK3CA mutation has no significant effects on OS and DFS in ESCC patients. More well-designed prospective studies with better methodology for PIK3CA assessment are required to clarify the prognostic significance of PIK3CA mutation in ESCC patients.

Oncogenic activity of SOX1 in glioblastoma

Glioblastoma remains the most common and deadliest type of brain tumor and contains a population of self-renewing, highly tumorigenic glioma stem cells (GSCs), which contributes to tumor initiation and treatment resistance. Developmental programs participating in tissue development and homeostasis re-emerge in GSCs, supporting the development and progression of glioblastoma. SOX1 plays an important role in neural development and neural progenitor pool maintenance. Its impact on glioblastoma remains largely unknown. In this study, we have found that high levels of SOX1 observed in a subset of patients correlate with lower overall survival. At the cellular level, SOX1 expression is elevated in patient-derived GSCs and it is also higher in oncosphere culture compared to differentiation conditions in conventional glioblastoma cell lines. Moreover, genetic inhibition of SOX1 in patient-derived GSCs and conventional cell lines decreases self-renewal and proliferative capacity in vitro and tumor initiation and growth in vivo. Contrarily, SOX1 over-expression moderately promotes self-renewal and proliferation in GSCs. These functions seem to be independent of its activity as Wnt/β-catenin signaling regulator. In summary, these results identify a functional role for SOX1 in regulating glioma cell heterogeneity and plasticity, and suggest SOX1 as a potential target in the GSC population in glioblastoma.