Project description:In the United States, African-American (AA) women are more likely to develop early-onset breast cancer and have historically poorer outcomes due to this disease compared to European-American (EA) women. Here, we analyzed genomic profiles of breast tumors from young women (<50 years old), matched by tumor subtype, histological grade, and ethnicity (African-American, AA, compared to European-American, EA). DNA copy number alterations (CNAs) were analyzed on the Affymetrix Human SNP Array v 6.0 platform. The study provides insight into the genetic component of ethnicity-related breast cancer health disparities.
Project description:In the United States, African-American (AA) women are more likely to develop early-onset breast cancer and have historically poorer outcomes due to this disease compared to European-American (EA) women. Here, we analyzed genomic profiles of breast tumors from young women (<50 years old), matched by tumor subtype, histological grade, and ethnicity (African-American, AA, compared to European-American, EA). DNA copy number alterations (CNAs) were analyzed using a 32K BAC tiling path array. The study provides insight into the genetic component of ethnicity-related breast cancer health disparities.
Project description:Detection of breast cancer (BC) in young women is challenging because mammography, the most common tool for detecting BC, is not effective on the dense breast tissue characteristic of young women. In addition to the limited means for detecting their BC, young women face a transient increased risk of pregnancy-associated BC. As a consequence, reproductively active women could benefit significantly from a tool that provides them with accurate risk assessment and early detection of BC. One potential method for detection of BC is biochemical monitoring of proteins and other molecules in bodily fluids such as serum, nipple aspirate, ductal lavage, tear, urine, saliva and breast milk. Of all these fluids, only breast milk provides access to a large volume of breast tissue, in the form of exfoliated epithelial cells, and to the local breast environment, in the form of molecules in the milk. Thus, analysis of breast milk is a non-invasive method with significant potential for assessing BC risk. Here we analyzed human breast milk by mass spectrometry (MS)-based proteomics to build a biomarker signature for early detection of BC. Ten milk samples from 8 women provided 5 paired-groups (cancer versus control) for analysis of differentially expressed proteins: 2 within woman comparisons (milk from a diseased breast versus a healthy breast of the same woman) and 3 across women comparisons (milk from a woman with cancer versus a woman without cancer). Despite a wide range in the time between milk donation and cancer diagnosis (cancer diagnosis occurred from 1 month before to 24 months after milk donation), the levels of some proteins differed significantly between cancer and control in several of the 5 comparison groups. These pilot data are supportive of the idea that molecular analysis of breast milk will identify proteins informative for early detection and accurate assessment of BC risk, and warrant further research.
Project description:In the United States, African-American (AA) women are more likely to develop early-onset breast cancer and have historically poorer outcomes due to this disease compared to European-American (EA) women. Here, we analyzed genomic profiles of breast tumors from young women (<50 years old), matched by tumor subtype, histological grade, and ethnicity (African-American, AA, compared to European-American, EA). DNA copy number alterations (CNAs) were analyzed using a 32K BAC tiling path array. The study provides insight into the genetic component of ethnicity-related breast cancer health disparities. Breast tumor samples from young women (< 50 years old) were matched as follows: a matched pair consists of one AA and one EA sample, matched for tumor grade and tumor subtype (based on immunohistochemical analysis of ER, PR, and HER2 status). 44 experiments; each experiment is tumor DNA versus reference control DNA (AF) isolated from the blood of a 25-year-old African-American female with no familial or personal history of breast cancer. Additional control experiments included the AF reference versus the well-characterized F1 reference, and 3 self-self hybridization controls (AF versus AF).
Project description:Analysis of the levels of circulating miRNAs from women with early stage breast cancer and matched healthy controls. miRNAs in plasma samples from 20 women with early stage breast cancer (10 Caucasian American and 10 African American) compared with 20 matched healthy controls (10 Caucasian American and 10 African American).
Project description:We used Affymetrix microarrays to investigate gene expression changes in somatic cells from breast-milk extracted from women suffering from mastitis and taking a daily dose of three capsules with ~50 mg of a freeze-dried probiotic (~109 CFU of L. salivarius PS2 strain) for 21 days. Healthy women were subjected to the same treatment for comparison. The aim of this work was to determine whether the daily intake of a probiotic strain for a total of 21 days exerted any modulatory effects, at the level of gene expression, in somatic cells from breast-milk in women with mastitis. Women were divided into 2 groups: mastitis and healthy. Total RNA was extracted from breast-milk isolated cells obtained from 10 participants (7 women from the mastitis group and 3 women from the healthy group) at day 0 (initial) and after 21 days (final) to compare differential gene expression between the groups. Differential gene expression after 21 days of the study for each group: mastitis and healthy
Project description:In the United States, African-American (AA) women are more likely to develop early-onset breast cancer and have historically poorer outcomes due to this disease compared to European-American (EA) women. Here, we analyzed genomic profiles of breast tumors from young women (<50 years old), matched by tumor subtype, histological grade, and ethnicity (African-American, AA, compared to European-American, EA). DNA copy number alterations (CNAs) were analyzed on the Affymetrix Human SNP Array v 6.0 platform. The study provides insight into the genetic component of ethnicity-related breast cancer health disparities. DNA copy number alterations (CNAs) and genotypes were analyzed using the Affymetrix SNP 6.0 platform. Breast tumor samples from young women (< 50 years old) were matched as follows: a matched pair consists of one AA and one EA sample, matched for tumor grade and tumor subtype (based on immunohistochemical analysis of ER, PR, and HER2 status). DNA from forty-four samples (22 AA, 22 EA) was analyzed on the Affymetrix SNP 6.0 array according to manufacturer’s directions.
Project description:Prior candidate gene studies have shown tumor suppressor DNA methylation in breast milk related with history of breast biopsy, an established risk factor for breast cancer. To further establish the utility of breast milk as a tissue-specific biospecimen for investigations of breast carcinogenesis we measured genome-wide DNA methylation in breast milk from women with and without a diagnosis of breast cancer in two independent cohorts. In epigenome-wide analyses we identified 58 differentially methylated CpG sites associated with breast cancer diagnosis in the prospectively collected milk samples from the breast that would develop cancer compared with women without a diagnosis of breast cancer (q-value < 0.05), using linear mixed effects models adjusted for history of breast biopsy, age, age of the baby, cell type proportion estimates, array chip, and subject as random effect. Nearly all sites associated with breast cancer diagnosis were hypomethylated in cases compared with controls, and CpG sites were enriched for CpG islands. In addition, inferred repeat element methylation was lower in breast milk DNA from cases compared to controls, and cases exhibited increased estimated epigenetic mitotic tick rate as well as DNA methylation age compared with controls. Breast milk has promise as a biospecimen for prospective assessment of disease risk, and for understanding the underlying molecular basis of breast cancer risk factors and improving primary and secondary prevention of breast cancer.
Project description:Breast milk is a complex liquid that enriched in immunological components and affect the development of the infant immune system. Exosomes, the membranous vesicles of endocytic origin, are ubiquitously in various body fluids which can mediate intercellular communication. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), a well-defined group of non-coding small RNAs, in human breast milk are packaged inside exosomes. Here, we present the identification of miRNAs in human breast milk exosomes using deep sequencing technology. We found that the immune-related miRNAs are enriched in breast milk exosomes, and are resistant to the general harsh conditions. Four small RNA libraries in human breast milk exosomes from four healthy women (30 +/- 0.9 years old, primiparity) when the infant were aged at 60 days were sequenced.
Project description:Women of sub-Saharan African descent have disproportionately higher incidence of Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC), and TNBC-specific mortality. Population comparative studies show racial differences in TNBC biology, including higher prevalence of basal-like and Quadruple-Negative subtypes in African Americans (AA). However, previous investigations relied on self-reported race (SRR) of primarily United States (US) populations. Due to heterogenous genetic admixture, and biological consequences of social determinants, the true association of African ancestry with TNBC biology is unclear. To address this, we conducted RNAseq on an international cohort of AAs, west and east Africans with TNBC. Using comprehensive genetic ancestry estimation in this African-enriched cohort, we found expression of 613 genes associated with African ancestry and 2000+ associated with regional African ancestry. A subset of African-associated genes also showed differences in normal breast tissue. Pathway enrichment and deconvolution of tumor cellular composition revealed tumor-associated immunological profiles are distinct in patients of African descent.