Both prolactin (PRL) and estrogen (E2) are involved in the pathogenesis and progression of mammary neoplasia, but the mechanisms by which these hormones interact to exert their effects in breast cancer cells are not well understood. We show here that PRL is able to activate the unliganded estrogen receptor (ER). In breast cancer cells, PRL activates a reporter plasmid containing estrogen response elements (EREs) and induces the ER target gene pS2. These actions are blocked by the antagonist ICI 182,780, showing that ER is required for the PRLmediated effect. Moreover, PRL leads to phosphorylation of ERa in serine-118 (P-ERa), a modification related to the potentiation of ligand-independent transcriptional activation. In addition, PRL mimics the effect of E2 on target gene expression by inducing cyclical recruitment of ERa and P-ERa to ERE-containing promoters, resulting in recruitment of co-activators and acetylation of histone H3. Finally, PRL induces expression of c-Myc and Cyclin D1 and leads to increased cell proliferation, which is specifically antagonized by ICI 182,780 or ERa depletion. These results show that ligand-independent ERa activation appears to be an important component of the proliferative and transcriptional actions of PRL in breast cancer cells.

BackgroundHazelnut is reported as a causative agent of allergic reactions. However it is also an edible nut with health benefits. The allergenic characteristics of hazelnut-samples after autoclaving (AC) and high-pressure (HHP) processing have been studied and are also presented here. Previous studies demonstrated that AC treatments were responsible for structural transformation of protein structure motifs. Thus, structural analyses of allergen proteins from hazelnut were carried out to observe what is occurring in relation to the specific-IgE recognition of the related allergenic proteins. The aims of this work are to evaluate the effect of AC and HHP processing on hazelnut in vitro allergenicity using human-sera and to analyse the complexity of hazelnut allergen-protein structures.MethodsHazelnut-samples were subjected to AC and HHP processing. The specific IgE- reactivity was studied in 15 allergic clinic-patients via western blotting analyses. A series of homology-based-bioinformatics 3D-models (Cora 1, Cora 8, Cora 9 and Cora 11) were generated for the antigens included in the study to analyse the co mplexity of their protein structure. This study is supported by the Declaration of Helsinki and subsequent ethical guidelines.ResultsA severe reduction in vitro in allergenicity to hazelnut after AC processing was observed in the allergic clinic-patients studied. The specific-IgE binding of some of the described immunoreactive hazelnut protein-bands: Cora 1 ~18KDa, Cora 8 ~9KDa, Cora 9 ~35-40KDa and Cora 11 ~47-48 KDa decreases. Furthermore a relevant glycosylation was assigned and visualized via structural analysis of proteins (3D-modelling) for the first time in the protein-allergen Cora 11 showing a new role which could open a new door for allergenicity-unravellings.ConclusionHazelnut allergenicity-studies in vivo via Prick-Prick and other means using AC processing are crucial to verify the data we observed via in vitro analyses. Glycosylation studies provided us with clues to elucidate, in the near future, mechanisms of the structures that contribute to hazelnut allergenicity, which thus, in turn, help alleviate food allergens.

Background: Previous results demonstrated that sensitization to specific olive pollen allergens could be related with a different clinical pattern (asthma and/or rhinitis), and that specific patterns of sensitization are regulated by different HLA class II antigens. The authors analyze the possible implication of 7 genetic polymorphisms described as asthma susceptibility genes: IL13 (C–1112T and R130Q), IL4RA (I50V, Q551R), IL5 (C–746T) and ADRB2 (Q27E and R16G) in specific olive pollen allergic sensitization. Methods: The authors genotyped seven polymorphisms of the IL13, IL4RA, IL5 and ADRB2 genes in 146 patients allergic to olive pollen with seasonal rhinitis/asthma and 50 controls using the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism and real-time polymerase chain reaction techniques. Results: Two polymorphisms of IL13 were associated with allergy to olive pollen: the TT genotype of IL13 C–1112T was decreased (odds ratio, OR = 0.35, p = 0.006) whereas the RQ heterozygous genotype of IL13 R130Q increased in patients allergic to olive pollen (OR = 3.12, p = 0.009). The combined analysis of two IL4RA single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (I50V and Q551R) showed an association with asthma: IL4RA V50/Q551 was associated with risk (OR = 2.48, p = 0.007) whereas the IL4RA V50R551 haplotype was associated with protection (OR = 0.31, p = 0.003). Conclusions: The IL13 polymorphisms under study were associated with specific allergy to olive pollen: the IL13 C–1112T polymorphism as a protective factor and the IL13 R130Q polymorphism as a risk factor. Interestingly, although single polymorphisms of IL4RA are not associated with any phenotype analyzed, the interaction between IL4RA I50V/Q551R was strongly associated with the asthma phenotype. IL13 and IL4RA could be relevant markers for allergy to olive pollen and asthma development.

Estrogen receptor-alpha36 (ER-α36) is a new isoform of estrogen receptors without transcriptional activation domains of the classical ER-α(ER − α66). ER-α36 is mainly located in cytoplasm and plasma membrane. ER-α36 mediates non-genomic signaling and is involved in genomic signaling of other ERs. Recently ER-α36 is found to play a critical role in the development of estrogen-dependent cancers and endocrine resistance of breast cancer. The present article overviews and updates the biological nature and function of ER-α36, potential interaction of ER-α36 with other estrogen receptors and growth factor receptors, intracellular signaling pathways, potential mechanism by which ER-α36 may play an important role in the development of tumor resistance to endocrine therapies.

The authors apply the Berry, Levinsohn, and Pakes (1995) model to scan data from Boston supermarkets augmented with consumer characteristics data to analyze consumer choices and price competition in a differentiated fluid milk market. Milk characteristics include price, fat content, brand name, and the organic and/or lactose-free nature of the product. Empirical results show that consumer valuation of fat decreases with income, but increases with the number of children. Low-fat and specialty milks, such as organic and lactose-free milks, are preferred by high-income consumers with no children. Although all milks are price elastic at the individual brand level, the cross-price elasticities are quite low and negligible for specialty milks. Based on calculated Lerner indexes, private label milks have the highest percent markups despite their lower prices, whereas specialty milks have the lowest markups despite their higher prices, which attests to a greater degree of market power for conventional and particularly for private label milk. [JEL Classification: D12, D40, L11, L81]. r

The genetic component was suggested to contribute to the development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a major and growing public health burden. The present review aims to characterize the evidence that gene polymorphisms contribute to the aetiology of COPD and related traits, and explore the potential relationship between certain gene polymorphisms and COPD susceptibility, severity, lung function, phenotypes, or drug effects, even though limited results from related studies lacked consistency. Most of these studies were association studies, rather than confirmatory studies. More large-sized and strictly controlled studies are needed to prove the relationship between gene polymorphisms and the reviewed traits. More importantly, prospective confirmatory studies beyond initial association studies will be necessary to evaluate true relationships between gene polymorphisms and COPD and help individualized treatment for patients with COPD.

An encouraging approach for the diagnosis and effective therapy of immunological pathologies, which would include cancer, is the identification of proteins and phosphorylated proteins. Disease proteomics, in particular, is a potentially useful method for this purpose. A key role is played by protein phosphorylation in the regulation of normal immunology disorders and targets for several new cancer drugs and drug candidates are cancer cells and protein kinases. Protein phosphorylation is a highly dynamic process. The functioning of new drugs is of major importance as is the selection of those patients who would respond best to a specific treatment regime. In all major aspects of cellular life signalling networks are key elements which play a major role in inter- and intracellular communications. They are involved in diverse processes such as cell-cycle progression, cellular metabolism, cell-cell communication and appropriate response to the cellular environment. A whole range of networks that are involved in the regulation of cell development, differentiation, proliferation, apoptosis, and immunologic responses is contained in the latter. It is so necessary to understand and monitor kinase signalling pathways in order to understand many immunology pathologies. Enrichment of phosphorylated proteins or peptides from tissue or bodily fluid samples is required. The application of technologies such as immunoproteomic techniques, phosphoenrichments and mass spectrometry (MS) is crucial for the identification and quantification of protein phosphorylation sites in order to advance in clinical research. Pharmacodynamic readouts of disease states and cellular drug responses in tumour samples will be provided as the field develops. We aim to detail the current and most useful techniques with research examples to isolate and carry out clinical phosphoproteomic studies which may be helpful for immunology and cancer research. Different phosphopeptide enrichment and quantitative techniques need to be combined to achieve good phosphopeptide recovery and good up- and-down phospho-regulation protein studies.

Background “It's not what we do, it's the way that we do it”. Never has this maxim been truer in proteomics than now. Mass Spectrometry‐based proteomics/phosphoproteomics tools are critical to understand the structure and dynamics (spatial and temporal) of signalling that engages and migrates through the entire proteome. Approaches such as affinity purification followed by Mass Spectrometry (MS) have been used to elucidate relevant biological questions disease vs. health. Thousands of proteins interact via physical and chemical association. Moreover, certain proteins can covalently modify other proteins post‐translationally. These post‐translational modifications (PTMs) ultimately give rise to the emergent functions of cells in sequence, space and time. Findings Understanding the functions of phosphorylated proteins thus requires one to study proteomes as linked‐systems rather than collections of individual protein molecules. Indeed, the interacting proteome or protein‐network knowledge has recently received much attention, as network‐systems (signalling pathways) are effective snapshots in time, of the proteome as a whole. MS approaches are clearly essential, in spite of the difficulties of some low abundance proteins for future clinical advances. Conclusion Clinical proteomics‐MS has come a long way in the past decade in terms of technology/platform development, protein chemistry, and together with bioinformatics and other OMICS tools to identify molecular signatures of diseases based on protein pathways and signalling cascades. Hence, there is great promise for disease diagnosis, prognosis, and prediction of therapeutic outcome on an individualized basis. However, and as a general rule, without correct study design, strategy and implementation of robust analytical methodologies, the efforts, efficiency and expectations to make biomarkers (especially phosphorylated kinases) a useful reality in the near future, can easily be hampered.