BNIP3 and breast cancer: BNIP3 and NIX have both been shown to be up-regulated in ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) in human breast cancer [86,87], while loss of BNIP3 expression at both the RNA and protein level in progression to invasive ductal carcinoma of the breast was associated with increased proliferative index and lymph node metastases [88].