 In a particular study, patients with end-stage dilated cardiomyopathy showed almost doubled estrogen receptor alpha (ER-alpha) mRNA and protein levels, and the ER-alpha/beta-catenin interaction, present at intercalated discs of control, non-diseased human hearts was lost, suggesting that the loss of this interaction at the intercalated disc may play a role in the progression of heart failure.Beta-catenin is a proto-oncogene.Mutations of this gene are commonly found in a variety of cancers