Abstract 1148 Bi-directional crosstalk between adipocytes and mammary cancer stem cells: role of hypoxia-induced metabolic reprogramming

Premenopausal African American (AA) women are disproportionately affected by triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). AA tumors are enriched in self-renewing, metastasis-promoting mammary cancer stem cells (MCSC), which evade current treatment options. While the interactions between breast tumors and adipocytes are well established, the key players in biologically distinct AA TNBCs remain unidentified. Among the heterogeneous MCSC populations, ALDH-expressing MCSCs are dominant in AA TNBCs. Since the browning of adipocytes is reported at the periphery of AA tumors, we aim to examine the specific crosstalk between AA TNBC MCSCs and differentiated adipocytes.