Global View of Candidate Therapeutic Target Genes in Hormone-Responsive Breast Cancer.

Breast cancer (BC) is a heterogeneous disease characterized by different biopathological features, differential response to therapy and substantial variability in long-term-survival. BC heterogeneity recapitulates genetic and epigenetic alterations affecting transformed cell behavior. The estrogen receptor alpha positive (ERα+) is the most common BC subtype, generally associated with a better prognosis and improved long-term survival, when compared to ERα-tumors. This is mainly due to the efficacy of endocrine therapy, that interfering with estrogen biosynthesis and actions blocks ER-mediated cell proliferation and tumor spread. Acquired resistance to endocrine therapy, however, represents a great challenge in the clinical management of ERα+ BC, causing tumor growth and recurrence irrespective of estrogen blockade. Improving overall survival in such cases requires new and effective anticancer drugs, allowing adjuvant treatments able to overcome resistance to first-line endocrine therapy. To date, several studies focus on the application of loss-of-function genome-wide screenings to identify key (hub) "fitness" genes essential for BC progression and representing candidate drug targets to overcome lack of response, or acquired resistance, to current therapies. Here, we review the biological significance of essential genes and relative functional pathways affected in ERα+ BC, most of which are strictly interconnected with each other and represent potential effective targets for novel molecular therapies.

Potential anticarcinogenic peptides from bovine milk.

BOVINE MILK POSSESSES A PROTEIN SYSTEM CONSTITUTED BY TWO MAJOR FAMILIES OF PROTEINS: caseins (insoluble) and whey proteins (soluble). Caseins ( α S1, α S2, ß , and κ ) are the predominant phosphoproteins in the milk of ruminants, accounting for about 80% of total protein, while the whey proteins, representing approximately 20% of milk protein fraction, include ß -lactoglobulin, α -lactalbumin, immunoglobulins, bovine serum albumin, bovine lactoferrin, and lactoperoxidase, together with other minor components. Different bioactivities have been associated with these proteins. In many cases, caseins and whey proteins act as precursors of bioactive peptides that are released, in the body, by enzymatic proteolysis during gastrointestinal digestion or during food processing. The biologically active peptides are of particular interest in food science and nutrition because they have been shown to play physiological roles, including opioid-like features, as well as immunomodulant, antihypertensive, antimicrobial, antiviral, and antioxidant activities. In recent years, research has focused its attention on the ability of these molecules to provide a prevention against the development of cancer. This paper presents an overview of antitumor activity of caseins and whey proteins and derived peptides.