High throughput transcriptomic profiling of MCF10A cells exposed to breast cancer disparities associated chemicals

Analyzing the US Center for Disease Control’s National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey chemical biomarker data, we identified a suite of toxicants, including metals, pesticides, and personal care product compounds, to which non-Hispanic Black women are disproportionately exposed. To characterize the impact of these toxicants on breast cancer pathways, we performed high throughput transcriptomic analysis of toxicant exposed breast cells. We treated non-tumorigenic mammary epithelial cells, MCF10A, with 21 chemicals prioritized for exposure disparities, at four doses (25nM, 250nM, 2.5µM, 25µM) for 48 hours. We conducted RNA-sequencing for these 408 samples, adapting the PlexWell plate-based RNA-sequencing method to analyze changes in gene expression resulting from these exposures.