Sandbox 43: Difference between revisions

=='''Function'''==

α-lactalbumin is found in human milk of mothers who have been lactating for at least one month.  It is the most abundant protein providing an osmotic force that drives water from the mothers blood vessels into her mammary glands as well as the formation of lactose as part of the lactose synthesis molecule.  It provides much of the nutrients that an infant needs ~15% of the protein and 16% of the nitrogen content.<ref>Jackson JG, Janszenb DB, Lonnerdalc B, Liena EL, Pramuka KP, Kuhlman CF. 2004. A multinational study of α-lactalbumin concentrations in human milk. Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry. 15: 517-521.</ref>

HAMLET (human a-lactalbumin made lethal to tumor cells) is made up of partially unfolded α-lactalbumin and oleic acid.  HAMLET has been shown to kill a wide range of tumor cells and embryonal cells but not healthy differentiated cells.  It is thought that HAMLET initiate macroautophagy in tumor cells.  HAMLET was shown to affect the mitochondria and to cause an apoptotic response with Cytochrome c release, low caspase activation, phosphatidylserine exposure and DNA fragmentation.  HAMLET has also been shown to have no adverse effects ''in vivo''.  HAMLET translocates to the nuclei, binding to histones and disrupts the function of chromatin in tumor cells<ref>Sonja Aits, Lotta Gustafsson, Oskar Hallgren, Patrick Brest, Mattias Gustafsson, Maria Trulsson, Ann-Kristin Mossberg, Hans-Uwe Simon, Baharia Mograbi and Catharina Svanborg. 2009. HAMLET (human a-lactalbumin made lethal to tumor cells) triggers autophagic tumor cell death. ''Int. J. Cancer'' 124, 1008–1019</ref>