BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women and the second most common cause of cancer deaths in the same population. Of all of subtypes, triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the most aggressive and is most prevalent in African American women. Due to vast heterogeneity, treatment options are limited. Characterization of key players in the signaling pathway may help identify potential targets for therapeutic intervention.

OBJECTIVE: To identify key players in microenvironments that promote early, aggressive growth of TNBC.

METHODS: Western Blots were performed to confirm results of preliminary RNA-Seq data. Quantitative PCRs were then performed to determine if the origin of proteins expressed were that of tumor cells or of the host environment.

RESULTS: Western blots demonstrated increased expression of beige adipocytes, collagen, macrophages, and mammary cancer stem cell markers. Quantitative PCR confirmed increases in expression seen in Western assay. Further, it was shown that beige adipocytes differentiated from, both, tumor cells and the host environment while collagen, ALDH1, and macrophage cell markers were of only host origin.

CONCLUSIONS: Our findings confirm the results of the RNA-Seq analysis and identified potential key players in tumorigenesis and disease progression. These key players may serve as targets for novel treatments and ultimately decrease the disparity of breast cancer deaths among African American women