APOBEC3A drives metastasis of ovarian cancer by altering epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition

High-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) is the most prevalent and aggressive histological subtype of ovarian cancer, and often presents with metastatic disease. The drivers of metastasis in HGSOC remain enigmatic. APOBEC3A (A3A), an enzyme that generates mutations across various cancers, has been proposed as a mediator of tumor heterogeneity and disease progression. However, the role of A3A in HGSOC has not been explored. Through analysis of genome sequencing from primary HGSOC, we observed an association between high levels of APOBEC3 mutagenesis and poor overall survival. We experimentally addressed this correlation by modeling A3A activity in HGSOC cell lines and mouse models which resulted in increased metastatic behavior of HGSOC cells in culture and distant metastatic spread in vivo. A3A activity in both primary and cultured HGSOC cells yielded consistent alterations in expression of epithelial-mesenchymal-transition (EMT) genes resulting in hybrid EMT and mesenchymal signatures, and providing a mechanism for their increased metastatic potential. Our findings define the prevalence of A3A mutagenesis in HGSOC and implicate A3A as a driver of HGSOC metastasis via EMT, underscoring its clinical relevance as a potential prognostic biomarker. Our study lays the groundwork for the development of targeted therapies aimed at mitigating the deleterious impact of A3A-driven EMT in HGSOC.