Interestingly, we determined that reduction of CD36 expression by siRNA inhibited ERα expression while inducing ERβ expression (up panel, Fig. 3c), which is consistent with the observations that ERα promotes while ERβ inhibits breast cancer cell growth, and the concept that increased ERα and decreased ERβ might be one of the reasons for initiation of breast cancer. This evidence concerns the gene CD36 and breast carcinoma.