DIM-C-Pyr-4 is the first example of a compound that activates COUP-TFI and induced COUP-TFI-dependent Egr-1 gene expression in breast cancer cells, and these responses are due, in part, to activation of phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3-K) and cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP)/protein kinase A (PKA). The gene discussed is EGR1; the disease is breast cancer.