Library size confounds biology in spatial transcriptomics data.

Spatial molecular data has transformed the study of disease microenvironments, though, larger datasets pose an analytics challenge prompting the direct adoption of single-cell RNA-sequencing tools including normalization methods. Here, we demonstrate that library size is associated with tissue structure and that normalizing these effects out using commonly applied scRNA-seq normalization methods will negatively affect spatial domain identification. Spatial data should not be specifically corrected for library size prior to analysis, and algorithms designed for scRNA-seq data should be adopted with caution.

Activity and safety of enobosarm, a novel, oral, selective androgen receptor modulator, in androgen receptor-positive, oestrogen receptor-positive, and HER2-negative advanced breast cancer (Study G200802): a randomised, open-label, multicentre, multinational, parallel design, phase 2 trial.

BACKGROUND: The androgen receptor is a tumour suppressor in oestrogen receptor-positive breast cancer. The activity and safety of enobosarm, an oral selective androgen receptor modulator, was evaluated in women with oestrogen receptor (ER)-positive, HER2-negative, and androgen receptor (AR)-positive disease. METHODS: Women who were postmenopausal (aged ≥18 years) with previously treated ER-positive, HER2-negative, locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer with an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0-2 were enrolled in a randomised, open-label, multicentre, multinational, parallel design, phase 2 trial done at 35 cancer treatment centres in nine countries. Participants were stratified on the setting of immediately preceding endocrine therapy and the presence of bone-only metastasis and randomly assigned (1:1) to 9 mg or 18 mg oral enobosarm daily using an interactive web response system. The primary endpoint was clinical benefit rate at 24 weeks in those with centrally confirmed AR-positive disease (ie, the evaluable population). This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02463032). FINDINGS: Between Sept 10, 2015, and Nov 28, 2017, 136 (79%) of 172 patients deemed eligible were randomly assigned to 9 mg (n=72) or 18 mg (n=64) oral enobosarm daily. Of these 136 patients, 102 (75%) patients formed the evaluable population (9 mg, n=50; 18 mg, n=52). The median age was 60·5 years (IQR 52·3-69·3) in the 9 mg group and 62·5 years (54·0-69·3) in the 18 mg group. The median follow-up was 7·5 months (IQR 2·9-14·1). At 24 weeks, 16 (32%, 95% CI 20-47) of 50 in the 9 mg group and 15 (29%, 17-43) of 52 in the 18 mg group had clinical benefit. Six (8%) of 75 patients who received 9 mg and ten (16%) of 61 patients who received 18 mg had grade 3 or grade 4 drug-related adverse events, most frequently increased hepatic transaminases (three [4%] of 75 in the 9 mg group and two [3%] of 61 in the 18 mg group), hypercalcaemia (two [3%] and two [3%]), and fatigue (one [1%] and two [3%]). Four deaths (one in the 9 mg group and three in the 18 mg group) were deemed unrelated to the study drug. INTERPRETATION: Enobosarm has anti-tumour activity in patients with ER-positive, HER2-negative advanced breast cancer, showing that AR activation can result in clinical benefit, supporting further clinical investigation of selective AR activation strategies for the treatment of AR-positive, ER-positive, HER2-negative advanced breast cancer. FUNDING: GTx.

The androgen receptor interacts with GATA3 to transcriptionally regulate a luminal epithelial cell phenotype in breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: The androgen receptor (AR) is a tumor suppressor in estrogen receptor (ER) positive breast cancer, a role sustained in some ER negative breast cancers. Key factors dictating AR genomic activity in a breast context are largely unknown. Herein, we employ an unbiased chromatin immunoprecipitation-based proteomic technique to identify endogenous AR interacting co-regulatory proteins in ER positive and negative models of breast cancer to gain new insight into mechanisms of AR signaling in this disease. RESULTS: The DNA-binding factor GATA3 is identified and validated as a novel AR interacting protein in breast cancer cells irrespective of ER status. AR activation by the natural ligand 5α-dihydrotestosterone (DHT) increases nuclear AR-GATA3 interactions, resulting in AR-dependent enrichment of GATA3 chromatin binding at a sub-set of genomic loci. Silencing GATA3 reduces but does not prevent AR DNA binding and transactivation of genes associated with AR/GATA3 co-occupied loci, indicating a co-regulatory role for GATA3 in AR signaling. DHT-induced AR/GATA3 binding coincides with upregulation of luminal differentiation genes, including EHF and KDM4B, established master regulators of a breast epithelial cell lineage. These findings are validated in a patient-derived xenograft model of breast cancer. Interaction between AR and GATA3 is also associated with AR-mediated growth inhibition in ER positive and ER negative breast cancer. CONCLUSIONS: AR and GATA3 interact to transcriptionally regulate luminal epithelial cell differentiation in breast cancer regardless of ER status. This interaction facilitates the tumor suppressor function of AR and mechanistically explains why AR expression is associated with less proliferative, more differentiated breast tumors and better overall survival in breast cancer.

The potential of epigenetic therapy to target the 3D epigenome in endocrine-resistant breast cancer.

Three-dimensional (3D) epigenome remodeling is an important mechanism of gene deregulation in cancer. However, its potential as a target to counteract therapy resistance remains largely unaddressed. Here, we show that epigenetic therapy with decitabine (5-Aza-mC) suppresses tumor growth in xenograft models of pre-clinical metastatic estrogen receptor positive (ER+) breast tumor. Decitabine-induced genome-wide DNA hypomethylation results in large-scale 3D epigenome deregulation, including de-compaction of higher-order chromatin structure and loss of boundary insulation of topologically associated domains. Significant DNA hypomethylation associates with ectopic activation of ER-enhancers, gain in ER binding, creation of new 3D enhancer-promoter interactions and concordant up-regulation of ER-mediated transcription pathways. Importantly, long-term withdrawal of epigenetic therapy partially restores methylation at ER-enhancer elements, resulting in a loss of ectopic 3D enhancer-promoter interactions and associated gene repression. Our study illustrates the potential of epigenetic therapy to target ER+ endocrine-resistant breast cancer by DNA methylation-dependent rewiring of 3D chromatin interactions, which are associated with the suppression of tumor growth.

Selective inhibition of CDK9 in triple negative breast cancer.

Targeted therapy for triple-negative breast cancers (TNBC) remains a clinical challenge due to tumour heterogeneity. Since TNBC have key features of transcriptionally addicted cancers, targeting transcription via regulators such as cyclin-dependent kinase 9 (CDK9) has potential as a therapeutic strategy. Herein, we preclinically tested a new selective CDK9 inhibitor (CDDD11-8) in TNBC using cell line, patient-derived organoid, and patient-derived explant models. In vitro, CDDD11-8 dose-dependently inhibited proliferation (IC50 range: 281-734 nM), induced cell cycle arrest, and increased apoptosis of cell lines, which encompassed the three major molecular subtypes of TNBC. On target inhibition of CDK9 activity was demonstrated by reduced RNAPII phosphorylation at a CDK9 target peptide and down-regulation of the MYC and MCL1 oncogenes at the mRNA and protein levels in all cell line models. Drug induced RNAPII pausing was evident at gene promoters, with strongest pausing at MYC target genes. Growth of five distinct patient-derived organoid models was dose-dependently inhibited by CDDD11-8 (IC50 range: 272-771 nM), including three derived from MYC amplified, chemo-resistant TNBC metastatic lesions. Orally administered CDDD11-8 also inhibited growth of mammary intraductal TNBC xenograft tumours with no overt toxicity in vivo (mice) or ex vivo (human breast tissues). In conclusion, our studies indicate that CDK9 is a viable therapeutic target in TNBC and that CDDD11-8, a novel selective CDK9 inhibitor, has efficacy in TNBC without apparent toxicity to normal tissues.

Designing Fluorescent Nuclear Permeable Peptidomimetics to Target Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen.

Human proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) is a critical mediator of DNA replication and repair, acting as a docking platform for replication proteins. Disrupting these interactions with a peptidomimetic agent presents as a promising avenue to limit proliferation of cancerous cells. Here, a p21-derived peptide was employed as a starting scaffold to design a modular peptidomimetic that interacts with PCNA and is cellular and nuclear permeable. Ultimately, a peptidomimetic was produced which met these criteria, consisting of a fluorescein tag and SV40 nuclear localization signal conjugated to the N-terminus of a p21 macrocycle derivative. Attachment of the fluorescein tag was found to directly affect cellular uptake of the peptidomimetic, with fluorescein being requisite for nuclear permeability. This work provides an important step forward in the development of PCNA targeting peptidomimetics for use as anti-cancer agents or as cancer diagnostics.

The molecular consequences of androgen activity in the human breast.

Estrogen and progesterone have been extensively studied in the mammary gland, but the molecular effects of androgen remain largely unexplored. Transgender men are recorded as female at birth but identify as male and may undergo gender-affirming androgen therapy to align their physical characteristics and gender identity. Here we perform single-cell-resolution transcriptome, chromatin, and spatial profiling of breast tissues from transgender men following androgen therapy. We find canonical androgen receptor gene targets are upregulated in cells expressing the androgen receptor and that paracrine signaling likely drives sex-relevant androgenic effects in other cell types. We also observe involution of the epithelium and a spatial reconfiguration of immune, fibroblast, and vascular cells, and identify a gene regulatory network associated with androgen-induced fat loss. This work elucidates the molecular consequences of androgen activity in the human breast at single-cell resolution.

Potent Stimulation of the Androgen Receptor Instigates a Viral Mimicry Response in Prostate Cancer.

Inhibiting the androgen receptor (AR), a ligand-activated transcription factor, with androgen deprivation therapy is a standard-of-care treatment for metastatic prostate cancer. Paradoxically, activation of AR can also inhibit the growth of prostate cancer in some patients and experimental systems, but the mechanisms underlying this phenomenon are poorly understood. This study exploited a potent synthetic androgen, methyltestosterone (MeT), to investigate AR agonist-induced growth inhibition. MeT strongly inhibited growth of prostate cancer cells expressing AR, but not AR-negative models. Genes and pathways regulated by MeT were highly analogous to those regulated by DHT, although MeT induced a quantitatively greater androgenic response in prostate cancer cells. MeT potently downregulated DNA methyltransferases, leading to global DNA hypomethylation. These epigenomic changes were associated with dysregulation of transposable element expression, including upregulation of endogenous retrovirus (ERV) transcripts after sustained MeT treatment. Increased ERV expression led to accumulation of double-stranded RNA and a "viral mimicry" response characterized by activation of IFN signaling, upregulation of MHC class I molecules, and enhanced recognition of murine prostate cancer cells by CD8+ T cells. Positive associations between AR activity and ERVs/antiviral pathways were evident in patient transcriptomic data, supporting the clinical relevance of our findings. Collectively, our study reveals that the potent androgen MeT can increase the immunogenicity of prostate cancer cells via a viral mimicry response, a finding that has potential implications for the development of strategies to sensitize this cancer type to immunotherapies. Significance: Our study demonstrates that potent androgen stimulation of prostate cancer cells can elicit a viral mimicry response, resulting in enhanced IFN signaling. This finding may have implications for the development of strategies to sensitize prostate cancer to immunotherapies.

A cell permeable bimane-constrained PCNA-interacting peptide.

The human sliding clamp protein known as proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) orchestrates DNA-replication and -repair and as such is an ideal therapeutic target for proliferative diseases, including cancer. Peptides derived from the human p21 protein bind PCNA with high affinity via a 310-helical binding conformation and are known to shut down DNA-replication. Here, we present studies on short analogues of p21 peptides (143-151) conformationally constrained with a covalent linker between i, i + 4 separated cysteine residues at positions 145 and 149 to access peptidomimetics that target PCNA. The resulting macrocycles bind PCNA with K D values ranging from 570 nM to 3.86 µM, with the bimane-constrained peptide 7 proving the most potent. Subsequent X-ray crystallography and computational modelling studies of the macrocyclic peptides bound to PCNA indicated only the high-affinity peptide 7 adopted the classical 310-helical binding conformation. This suggests the 310-helical conformation is critical to high affinity PCNA binding, however NMR secondary shift analysis of peptide 7 revealed this secondary structure was not well-defined in solution. Peptide 7 is cell permeable and localised to the cell cytosol of breast cancer cells (MDA-MB-468), revealed by confocal microscopy showing blue fluorescence of the bimane linker. The inherent fluorescence of the bimane moiety present in peptide 7 allowed it to be directly imaged in the cell uptake assay, without attachment of an auxiliary fluorescent tag. This highlights a significant benefit of using a bimane constraint to access conformationally constrained macrocyclic peptides. This study identifies a small peptidomimetic that binds PCNA with higher affinity than previous reported p21 macrocycles, and is cell permeable, providing a significant advance toward development of a PCNA inhibitor for therapeutic applications.

Arming androgen receptors to oppose oncogenic estrogen receptor activity in breast cancer.

Most breast cancers are driven by oncogenic activity of the estrogen receptor alpha (ER). Resistance to ER target therapies is the major cause of breast cancer death. Recently, there has been renewed interest in targeting the androgen receptor (AR) to treat ER-driven breast cancers. Herein, we discuss evidence for an AR agonist, not antagonist, treatment strategy.

High-Throughput Imaging Assay for Drug Screening of 3D Prostate Cancer Organoids.

New treatments are required for advanced prostate cancer; however, there are fewer preclinical models of prostate cancer than other common tumor types to test candidate therapeutics. One opportunity to increase the scope of preclinical studies is to grow tissue from patient-derived xenografts (PDXs) as organoid cultures. Here we report a scalable pipeline for automated seeding, treatment and an analysis of the drug responses of prostate cancer organoids. We established organoid cultures from 5 PDXs with diverse phenotypes of prostate cancer, including castrate-sensitive and castrate-resistant disease, as well as adenocarcinoma and neuroendocrine pathology. We robotically embedded organoids in Matrigel in 384-well plates and monitored growth via brightfield microscopy before treatment with poly ADP-ribose polymerase inhibitors or a compound library. Independent readouts including metabolic activity and live-cell imaging-based features provided robust measures of organoid growth and complementary ways of assessing drug efficacy. Single organoid analyses enabled in-depth assessment of morphological differences between patients and within organoid populations and revealed that larger organoids had more striking changes in morphology and composition after drug treatment. By increasing the scale and scope of organoid experiments, this automated assay complements other patient-derived models and will expedite preclinical testing of new treatments for prostate cancer.

Corrigendum: Heparanase Promotes Syndecan-1 Expression to Mediate Fibrillar Collagen and Mammographic Density in Human Breast Tissue Cultured ex vivo.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2020.00599.].

The androgen receptor is a tumor suppressor in estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer.

The role of the androgen receptor (AR) in estrogen receptor (ER)-α-positive breast cancer is controversial, constraining implementation of AR-directed therapies. Using a diverse, clinically relevant panel of cell-line and patient-derived models, we demonstrate that AR activation, not suppression, exerts potent antitumor activity in multiple disease contexts, including resistance to standard-of-care ER and CDK4/6 inhibitors. Notably, AR agonists combined with standard-of-care agents enhanced therapeutic responses. Mechanistically, agonist activation of AR altered the genomic distribution of ER and essential co-activators (p300, SRC-3), resulting in repression of ER-regulated cell cycle genes and upregulation of AR target genes, including known tumor suppressors. A gene signature of AR activity positively predicted disease survival in multiple clinical ER-positive breast cancer cohorts. These findings provide unambiguous evidence that AR has a tumor suppressor role in ER-positive breast cancer and support AR agonism as the optimal AR-directed treatment strategy, revealing a rational therapeutic opportunity.

Post-transcriptional Gene Regulation by MicroRNA-194 Promotes Neuroendocrine Transdifferentiation in Prostate Cancer.

Potent therapeutic inhibition of the androgen receptor (AR) in prostate adenocarcinoma can lead to the emergence of neuroendocrine prostate cancer (NEPC), a phenomenon associated with enhanced cell plasticity. Here, we show that microRNA-194 (miR-194) is a regulator of epithelial-neuroendocrine transdifferentiation. In clinical prostate cancer samples, miR-194 expression and activity were elevated in NEPC and inversely correlated with AR signaling. miR-194 facilitated the emergence of neuroendocrine features in prostate cancer cells, a process mediated by its ability to directly target a suite of genes involved in cell plasticity. One such target was FOXA1, which encodes a transcription factor with a vital role in maintaining the prostate epithelial lineage. Importantly, a miR-194 inhibitor blocked epithelial-neuroendocrine transdifferentiation and inhibited the growth of cell lines and patient-derived organoids possessing neuroendocrine features. Overall, our study reveals a post-transcriptional mechanism regulating the plasticity of prostate cancer cells and provides a rationale for targeting miR-194 in NEPC.

Heparanase Promotes Syndecan-1 Expression to Mediate Fibrillar Collagen and Mammographic Density in Human Breast Tissue Cultured ex vivo.

Mammographic density (MD) is a strong and independent factor for breast cancer (BC) risk and is increasingly associated with BC progression. We have previously shown in mice that high MD, which is characterized by the preponderance of a fibrous stroma, facilitates BC xenograft growth and metastasis. This stroma is rich in extracellular matrix (ECM) factors, including heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs), such as the BC-associated syndecan-1 (SDC1). These proteoglycans tether growth factors, which are released by heparanase (HPSE). MD is positively associated with estrogen exposure and, in cell models, estrogen has been implicated in the upregulation of HPSE, the activity of which promotes SDC expression. Herein we describe a novel measurement approach (single-sided NMR) using a patient-derived explant (PDE) model of normal human (female) mammary tissue cultured ex vivo to investigate the role(s) of HPSE and SDC1 on MD. Relative HSPG gene and protein analyses determined in patient-paired high vs. low MD tissues identified SDC1 and SDC4 as potential mediators of MD. Using the PDE model we demonstrate that HPSE promotes SDC1 rather than SDC4 expression and cleavage, leading to increased MD. In this model system, synstatin (SSTN), an SDC1 inhibitory peptide designed to decouple SDC1-ITGαvß3 parallel collagen alignment, reduced the abundance of fibrillar collagen as assessed by picrosirius red viewed under polarized light, and reduced MD. Our results reveal a potential role for HPSE in maintaining MD via its direct regulation of SDC1, which in turn physically tethers collagen into aligned fibers characteristic of MD. We propose that inhibitors of HPSE and/or SDC1 may afford an opportunity to reduce MD in high BC risk individuals and reduce MD-associated BC progression in conjunction with established BC therapies.

Endonuclease FEN1 Coregulates ERα Activity and Provides a Novel Drug Interface in Tamoxifen-Resistant Breast Cancer.

Estrogen receptor α (ERα) is a key transcriptional regulator in the majority of breast cancers. ERα-positive patients are frequently treated with tamoxifen, but resistance is common. In this study, we refined a previously identified 111-gene outcome prediction-classifier, revealing FEN1 as the strongest determining factor in ERα-positive patient prognostication. FEN1 levels were predictive of outcome in tamoxifen-treated patients, and FEN1 played a causal role in ERα-driven cell growth. FEN1 impacted the transcriptional activity of ERα by facilitating coactivator recruitment to the ERα transcriptional complex. FEN1 blockade induced proteasome-mediated degradation of activated ERα, resulting in loss of ERα-driven gene expression and eradicated tumor cell proliferation. Finally, a high-throughput 465,195 compound screen identified a novel FEN1 inhibitor, which effectively blocked ERα function and inhibited proliferation of tamoxifen-resistant cell lines as well as ex vivo-cultured ERα-positive breast tumors. Collectively, these results provide therapeutic proof of principle for FEN1 blockade in tamoxifen-resistant breast cancer. SIGNIFICANCE: These findings show that pharmacologic inhibition of FEN1, which is predictive of outcome in tamoxifen-treated patients, effectively blocks ERα function and inhibits proliferation of tamoxifen-resistant tumor cells.

Elevated levels of tumour apolipoprotein D independently predict poor outcome in breast cancer patients.

AIMS: Apolipoprotein D (ApoD) is a protein that is regulated by androgen and oestrogen, and is a major constituent of breast cysts. Although ApoD has been reported to be a marker of breast cancer, its prognostic importance in invasive breast cancer is unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between ApoD protein expression, oestrogen receptor-α (ERα) expression and androgen receptor (AR) expression in predicting breast cancer outcome. METHODS AND RESULTS: ApoD levels were measured by the use of immunohistochemistry and video image analysis on tissue sections from a breast cancer cohort (n = 214). We assessed the associations of ApoD expression with disease-free survival (DFS), metastasis-free survival (MFS), and overall survival (OS). We also assessed the relationship between ApoD expression, AR expression and ERα expression in predicting OS. ApoD expression (>1% ApoD positivity) was found in 72% (154/214) of tissues. High ApoD positivity (≥20.7%, fourth quartile) was an independent predictor of MFS and OS, and conferred a 2.2-fold increased risk of developing metastatic disease and a 2.1-fold increased risk of breast cancer-related death. ApoD positivity was not associated with AR or ERα nuclear positivity. However, patients with (≥1%) ERα-positive cancers with low (<20.7%) ApoD positivity, or those showing high (≥78%) AR positivity and low (<20.7%) ApoD positivity had better OS than other patient groups. CONCLUSIONS: ApoD expression could be used to predict breast cancer prognosis independently of ERα and AR expression.

Anti-proliferative transcriptional effects of medroxyprogesterone acetate in estrogen receptor positive breast cancer cells are predominantly mediated by the progesterone receptor.

Medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) is a first generation progestin that has been in clinical use for various hormonal conditions in women since the 1960s. Although developed as a progesterone receptor (PR) agonist, MPA also has strong binding affinity for other steroid receptors. This promiscuity confounds the mechanistic action of MPA in target cells that express multiple steroid receptors. This study is the first to assess the relative contribution of progesterone, androgen and glucocorticoid receptors in mediating the transcriptional activity of MPA on endogenous targets in breast cancer cells that endogenously express all three receptors at comparable levels. Gene expression profiling in estrogen receptor positive (ER+) ZR-75-1 breast cancer cells demonstrated that although the MPA-regulated transcriptome strongly overlapped with that of Progesterone (PROG), 5α-dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and Dexamethasone (DEX), it clustered most strongly with that of PROG, suggesting that MPA predominantly acts via the progesterone receptor (PR) rather than androgen receptor (AR) or glucocorticoid receptor (GR). Subsequent experiments manipulating levels of these receptors, either through specific culture conditions or with lentiviral shRNAs targeting individual receptors, also revealed a stronger contribution of PR compared to AR and GR on the expression of endogenous target genes that are either commonly regulated by all ligands or specifically regulated only by MPA. A predominant contribution of PR to MPA action in ER+ T-47D breast cancer cells was also observed, although a stronger role for AR was evident in T-47D compared to that observed in ZR-75-1 cells. Network analysis of ligand-specific and commonly regulated genes demonstrated that MPA utilises different transcription factors and signalling pathways to inhibit proliferation compared with PROG. This study reaffirms the importance of PR in mediating MPA action in an endogenous breast cancer context where multiple steroid receptors are co-expressed and has potential implications for PR-targeting therapeutic strategies in ER+ breast cancer.

Interplay between the androgen receptor signaling axis and microRNAs in prostate cancer.

The androgen receptor (AR) is a ligand-activated transcription factor that drives prostate cancer. Since therapies that target the AR are the mainstay treatment for men with metastatic disease, it is essential to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying oncogenic AR signaling in the prostate. miRNAs are small, non-coding regulators of gene expression that play a key role in prostate cancer and are increasingly recognized as targets or modulators of the AR signaling axis. In this review, we examine the regulation of AR signaling by miRNAs and vice versa and discuss how this interplay influences prostate cancer growth, metastasis and resistance to therapy. Finally, we explore the potential clinical applications of miRNAs implicated in the regulation of AR signaling in this prevalent hormone-driven disease.

Androgen Receptor Signalling Promotes a Luminal Phenotype in Mammary Epithelial Cells.

Androgens influence mammary gland development but the specific role of the androgen receptor (AR) in mammary function is largely unknown. We identified cell subsets that express AR in vivo and determined the effect of AR activation and transgenic AR inhibition on sub-populations of the normal mouse mammary epithelium by flow cytometry and immunohistochemistry. Immunolocalisation of AR with markers of lineage identity was also performed in human breast tissues. AR activation in vivo significantly decreased the proportion of basal cells, and caused an accumulation of cells that expressed a basal cell marker but exhibited morphological features of luminal identity. Conversely, in AR null mice the proportion of basal mammary epithelial cells was significantly increased. Inhibition of AR increased basal but not luminal progenitor cell activity in vitro. A small population of AR-positive cells in a basal-to-luminal phenotype transition was also evident in human breast lobules. Collectively, these data support a role for AR in promoting a luminal phenotype in mammary epithelial cells.