Estrogen responsive transcriptome of estrogen receptor positive normal human breast cells in 3D cultures

Understanding how differentiation, microenvironment, and hormonal milieu influence human breast cell susceptibility to malignant transformation will require the use of physiologically relevant in vitro systems. We developed a 3D culture model that enables the propagation of normal estrogen receptor alpha (ER)+ cells. The purpose of this experiment was to assess ER functionality and compare estrogen-induced transcripts among samples and systems. Overall design: RNA-seq was performed on RNA prepared from replicate 3D cultures from 3 normal 3D breast culture specimens exposed to 10nM estradiol or vehicle alone for 6 or 24 hours.