Inheritance of a mutation in BRCA1 (breast cancer 1 early-onset) results in predisposition to early-onset breast and ovarian cancer. Tumours in these individuals arise after somatic mutation or loss of the wild-type allele. Loss of BRCA1 function leads to a profound increase in genomic instability involving the accumulation of mutations, DNA breaks and gross chromosomal rearrangements. Accordingly, BRCA1 has been implicated as an important factor involved in both the repair of DNA lesions and in the regulation of cell-cycle checkpoints in response to DNA damage. However, the molecular mechanism through which BRCA1 functions to preserve genome stability remains unclear. In the present article, we examine the different ways in which BRCA1 might influence the repair of DNA damage and the preservation of genome integrity, taking into account what is currently known about its interactions with other proteins, its biochemical activity and its nuclear localization.
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June 2009
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Conference Article|
May 20 2009
Understanding the functions of BRCA1 in the DNA-damage response
Maximina H. Yun;
Maximina H. Yun
1
1Division of Protein and Nucleic Acids Chemistry, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 0QH, U.K.
1To whom correspondence should be addressed (email mhy26@cam.ac.uk).
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Kevin Hiom
Kevin Hiom
1Division of Protein and Nucleic Acids Chemistry, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 0QH, U.K.
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Publisher: Portland Press Ltd
Received:
February 26 2009
Online ISSN: 1470-8752
Print ISSN: 0300-5127
© The Authors Journal compilation © 2009 Biochemical Society
2009
Biochem Soc Trans (2009) 37 (3): 597–604.
Article history
Received:
February 26 2009
Citation
Maximina H. Yun, Kevin Hiom; Understanding the functions of BRCA1 in the DNA-damage response. Biochem Soc Trans 1 June 2009; 37 (3): 597–604. doi: https://doi.org/10.1042/BST0370597
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