Abstract 1168: Characterization of tumor initiation cells in mammary tissues of C3-1-TAg transgenic mice
Authors: Cheng Qiong , Parris Amanda B. , Ma Zhikun , Shi Yujie , Kong Lingfei , Yang Xiaohe 
Published: August 2019

Animal models are powerful tools for the understanding of tumor development and cancer stem cell (CSC) origin. C3-1-TAg transgenic mice are a model for human triple negative breast cancer. Although general patterns of tumor development in this model have been well characterized, the tumor initiation cells of this model have not been defined. The objective of this study was to characterize the stemness and growth properties of mammary tumor cells in context with mammary epithelial cell (MEC) subpopulations of C3-1-TAg transgenic mice to identify the origin of tumor initiation cells. We first isolated MECs from mammary tissues of C3-1-TAg mice at various ages (8, 17, and 23 weeks old) and primary tumor cells from tumors of this model. Flow cytometry analysis with CD24 and CD49f as cell markers showed that cells from mammary tissues were separated into three subpopulations, including luminal, basal, and stromal populations. We found that the percentage of luminal subpopulation increased with age. Analysis of tumor derived cells using the same markers indicated that the majority of the cells in the plots overlapped with the position of luminal epithelial cells, suggesting their mutual connections. Next, we performed FACS sorting of mammary epithelial cells from the glands based on CD24 and CD49f and obtained four subpopulations of cells, including P1(stromal), P2(luminal), P3(CD24high/CD49fhigh, top of basal population on the plot), and P4(CD24mid/CD49fhigh, lower part of basal population), followed by the characterization of each subpopulations. Colony formation cell (CFC) assay and mammosphere assay were used for evaluation of luminal progenitor cells and self-renewal potential, respectively. Data from CFC assays showed that CFC colony numbers were the highest from the P2 population, followed by a few colonies from P3 population. Mammosphere assay showed that cells from P1 population formed typical mammospheres, while as cells from P2 and P3 formed cellular clusters different from typical mammospheres. FACS sorting with cells from C3-1-TAg mammary tumors obtained P2 and P3 subpopulations. Cells from P2, not P3, subpopulation were efficient in mammosphere formation. Because cells in P2 population are luminal mammary epithelial cells and are enriched with luminal progenitor cells, integration of data above suggest that C3-1-TAg mammary tumor cells are mainly derived from luminal progenitor cells. Using CD61, which is a luminal progenitor cell marker, we found that the percentage of luminal progenitor cells (CD61+/CD49fhigh) in the mammary glands was increased with age, and most tumor derived cells were CD61+/CD49fhigh. Taken together, our data demonstrate that the tumor initiation cells in the C3-1-TAg mammary tumors were derived from luminal progenitor cells. These findings lay a foundation for further characterization of cellular basis and molecular analysis of tumorigenesis in C3-1-TAg transgenic models.

Citation Format: Qiong Cheng, Amanda B. Parris, Zhikun Ma, Yujie Shi, Lingfei Kong, Xiaohe Yang. Characterization of tumor initiation cells in mammary tissues of C3-1-TAg transgenic mice [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019; 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 1168.