Endogenous PROM1 activation redistributes liver cancer cells along a preexisting differentiation axis

Abstract

CD133 is widely used as a marker of stem-like cells in hepatocellular carcinoma, yet its functional contribution remains incompletely defined. In PLC/PRF/5 cells, acute CRISPR activation of endogenous PROM1 suppresses hepatic programs, whereas PROM1 knockdown elicits an opposing hepatocyte-identity response, together defining a PROM1-responsive transcriptional axis. Single-cell profiling shows that this axis is preexisting and tracks endogenous PROM1 heterogeneity, separating a hepatocyte-like, PROM1-low compartment from a PROM1-enriched, less hepatocyte-like compartment. Sustained PROM1 activation reduces the hepatocyte-like compartment and shifts the population toward intermediate positions along this axis. Related transcriptional patterns are detectable in an independent HuH-7 dataset and a human HCC case. Endogenous ALFA tagging identifies candidate CD133-associated proteins. Together, these findings support CD133 as an active contributor to tumor-cell state redistribution, extending its role beyond a mere marker of stem-like populations.