BRCA1 and BRCA2: Different Roles in a Common Pathway of Genome Protection

Overview

Journal Nat Rev Cancer

Specialty Oncology

Date 2011 Dec 24

PMID 22193408

Citations 707

Authors

Rohini Roy

Jarin Chun

Simon N Powell

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The proteins encoded by the two major breast cancer susceptibility genes, BRCA1 and BRCA2, work in a common pathway of genome protection. However, the two proteins work at different stages in the DNA damage response (DDR) and in DNA repair. BRCA1 is a pleiotropic DDR protein that functions in both checkpoint activation and DNA repair, whereas BRCA2 is a mediator of the core mechanism of homologous recombination. The links between the two proteins are not well understood, but they must exist to explain the marked similarity of human cancer susceptibility that arises with germline mutations in these genes. As discussed here, the proteins work in concert to protect the genome from double-strand DNA damage during DNA replication.

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