ESR1 and breast cancer: Our lab found that MCF7 cells exposed to low levels of cadmium for six months had a unique gene expression profile and increased growth, migration, and invasion capabilities, indicating that chronic cadmium exposure promotes breast cancer progression16,17 by altering the interactions among ERα, c-jun, and c-fos16 and promoting the expression of SDF1, a chemokine regulated by ERα18,19.