Deciphering the Multiscale Morphology of Somatic Oncogenic Alterations in Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Qionghua SheniD, Tai Ngo, Hanieh Mazloom-FarsibafiD, Kelly Wong, Lin LiiD, Kushal BhattiD, Felix ZhouiD, Bo-Jui ChangiD, Xiaoding Wang, Zhiguo ShangiD, John HaugiD, Hazel M. BorgesiD, Reto Paul FiolkaiD, Hao ZhuiD, Kevin M. DeaniD
Abstract
Somatic oncogenic mutations are typically defined by their molecular alterations, yet how they reorganize cellular architecture within intact tissues remain largely unknown. Here, we demonstrate that distinct oncogenic drivers produce unique multiscale architectural phenotypes that can be quantitatively resolved in intact liver tissue. Using iterative expansion microscopy, multiscale light-sheet imaging, and three-dimensional morphometric analysis, we systematically mapped structural remodeling from single-cell morphology to mitochondrial architecture in mosaic mouse models of hepatocellular oncogene activation. NRAS and CTNNB1 induced fundamentally different morphological programs. NRAS activation drove extensive remodeling of cell morphology, membrane curvature, and surface irregularity, whereas CTNNB1 activation largely preserved global cell morphology while selectively altering mitochondrial organization and shape. We first established a zonation-aware reference state for interpreting oncogene-associated organelle remodeling by resolving mitochondrial differences between periportal and pericentral hepatocytes. Within this framework, CTNNB1 activation shifted mitochondrial features toward a pericentral-like state, consistent with the role of Wnt/{beta}-catenin signaling in hepatic zonation and metabolic identity. Furthermore, integrating cellular morphology, membrane geometry, and mitochondrial architecture improved discrimination of oncogenic states beyond any individual structural feature, demonstrating that mutation-specific phenotypes arise through coordinated remodeling across multiple biological scales. Together, these findings establish multiscale structural phenotyping as a framework for linking oncogenic genotype to three-dimensional cellular organization and reveal that distinct oncogenic drivers remodel different architectural compartments during liver oncogene activation.
02 /Specification & Classification
Click any tag to browse matching papers- Citations
- 0
- Organism
- Assay
- Research Focus
- Approach
Reproducibility ledger
Nobody has reported trying to reproduce this paper yet. Did you replicate an experiment or run the code? Your report saves the next lab a week.
Sign in to file a reproducibility report.
Related papers
- NOTCH1 drives tumor plasticity and metastasis in hepatocellular carcinoma
Katherine E. Lindblad, Romain Donné, … Amaia Lujambio·bioRxiv·Oct 23, 2024
- Proteogenomic characterization of hepatocellular carcinoma
C. K. Ng, E. Dazert, … M. H. Heim·bioRxiv·Mar 5, 2021
- Hyperactivation of β-catenin rewires mitochondrial fuel selection in liver cancer cells
Luis Cedeño-Rosario, Queren A. Alcantara, … Jared P. Rutter·bioRxiv·Oct 20, 2026
- New three-dimensional preclinical models to understand and treat liver cancers activated for the β-catenin pathway
Vanessa Bou Malham, Fanny Léandre, … Christèle Desbois‐Mouthon·bioRxiv·Apr 3, 2026
- Deciphering Tumour Tissue Organization by 3D Electron Microscopy and machine learning
B. Denis de Senneville, F. Z. Khoubai, … C. Grosset·bioRxiv·Jun 15, 2021
- Germline and somatic variation influence nuclear-mitochondrial crosstalk in tumourigenesis
Maëlle Daunesse, Vasavi Sundaram, … Paul Flicek·bioRxiv·Feb 11, 2025