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Adipocyte progenitors are primary contributors to the disrupted epithelial niche that is sustained following abrupt mammary gland involution

Joshi, P. A.; Nuthalapati, P.; Maiti, D.; Kwende, S.; Maity, S.; Ning, D.

2024-09-10 cancer biology
10.1101/2024.09.08.611930 bioRxiv
Show abstract

A short duration of breastfeeding is a risk factor for the development of high-mortality, postpartum, triple-negative breast cancer. The intrinsic properties of cancer-initiating epithelial cells that persist following breastfeeding cessation and mammary gland remodeling are poorly understood. Previously, we showed that Platelet-Derived Growth Factor Receptor alpha (PDGFR)-expressing stromal mammary adipocyte progenitors (MAPs) differentiate into epithelial luminal progenitors in the adult gland. In the current study, we demonstrate that MAP-derived luminal progenitors retain a mesenchymal transcriptomic signature. In an abrupt involution model that mimics a short breastfeeding duration, MAP-derived luminal progenitors persist and dominate luminal epithelia, undergoing transcriptomic alterations that signify a distinct ferrometabolic state linked to cancer. Concurrently, MAPs adopt an alternative interferon-mediated profibrotic and invasive stromal fate. Our work uncovers MAPs to be the primary cellular origin of a pathological stromal and epithelial microenvironment following abrupt involution, presenting a potential therapeutic target in postpartum breast cancer.

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