Abstract 2179: Microbiome-derived metabolites mediate carcinogenic alterations of breast tissue in the context of obesity
Authors: Gaber Mohamed , Neary Kayla , Holmes Julia , Wilson Adam S. , Katz Adam J. , Vidi Pierre-Alexandre , Cook Katherine L. 
Published: March 2024

Obesity increases the relative risk for breast cancer incidence. Multiple molecular mechanisms linked to obesity drive breast cancer progression. Obesity shifts the gut microbiome in ways that may increase breast cancer risk. Microbial-associated molecular pattern (MAMP)-proteins and metabolites could directly affect breast epithelial cell signaling. In this study, we focused on lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a structural component of the outer membranes of gram-negative bacteria and a toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)-agonist. Systemic LPS levels are known to increase in obesity. We hypothesize that chronic low-grade inflammation caused by LPS contributes to breast cancer initiation. To test this hypothesis, we first quantified levels of LPS, along with a panel of adipokines/cytokines, in serum samples from women (n= 33; BMI range= 18.3-45.3 Kg/m2; Age range= 18-51 years). Women with elevated serum LPS had significantly higher BMI, leptin, and leptin/adiponectin ratio, confirming a link between systemic LPS and metabolic markers of obesity. Other biomarkers of breast cancer risk include DNA damage. Analyses of non-cancerous breast tissue sections from matched donors revealed higher densities of DNA double-strand breaks (estimated based on 53BP1 foci counts) in women with high serum LPS. Experiments with HMT-3522 S1 breast acini showed that LPS increases DNA break frequencies and oxidative stress levels in 3D structures of mammary epithelium. Moreover, LPS increases oxidative lesions in the DNA (estimated based on 8-oxoguanine fluorescence in MCF-10A cells) that may lead to increased LPS-mediated DNA damage. Patient obesity status was associated with alterations in oxidative modifications in the breast proteome. We also found that LPS disrupts epithelial polarity, a hallmark of breast tissue homeostasis. In mammary epithelium, LPS activates the nuclear factor-kappa B (NFκB) pathway by binding to the TLR4 receptor, leading to an increased expression of inflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α). Interestingly, TLR4 blockade prevented the loss of apical polarity and DNA damage induced by LPS. Last, but not least, we show an association between LPS immunogenicity (anti-LPS IgA concentrations) and participant BMI in non-cancerous breast tissue samples. These novel findings show that LPS is a key systemic and local mediator of the obesity-modulated microbiome that increases breast cancer risk. The outcomes of our study underscore the importance of considering the microbiome in the prevention of breast cancer.

Citation Format: Mohamed Gaber, Kayla Neary, Julia Holmes, Adam S. Wilson, Adam J. Katz, Pierre-Alexandre Vidi, Katherine L. Cook. Microbiome-derived metabolites mediate carcinogenic alterations of breast tissue in the context of obesity [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2024 Apr 5-10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(6_Suppl):Abstract nr 2179.