PPARG governs adipogenic differentiation and cell state plasticity in well-differentiated and dedifferentiated liposarcoma
- Blake R. Wilde
- Kyle D. Klingbeil
- Francesca Day
- Chris Dann
- Chris Frias
- Manando Nakasaki
- Sarah M. Dry
- Fritz C Eilber
- Joseph G. Crompton
- David B. Shackelford
- Brian E. Kadera
- Heather R. Christofk
2026-07-31
Well-differentiated and dedifferentiated liposarcoma (WD/DD LPS) represent a pathological continuum, often coexisting within the same tumor. While the dedifferentiated component is clinically aggressive, marked by rapid growth and metastatic potential, the evolutionary relationship between WD and DD LPS remains unknown. To investigate this, we performed single-nucleus RNA sequencing on matched WD and DD tumor regions. Both compartments shared a predominant population of undifferentiated mesenchymal cells, but only WD regions contained cells expressing adipocytic differentiation markers and PPARG target genes. Given the central role of PPARG in coordinating lipid metabolism during adipogenesis, these findings suggest that loss of this program may underlie the poorly differentiated, proliferative phenotype of DD LPS. Functional studies confirmed that PPARG activation in DD LPS cells induces lipid accumulation, reduces proliferation, and impairs tumor growth in vivo. These support a model in which impaired adipogenic differentiation underlies DD LPS pathology and identify PPARG as a potential therapeutic target to promote differentiation and suppress tumor progression.