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BRCA1 and BRCA2: Role in the DNA Damage Response, Cancer Formation and Treatment

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The DNA Damage Response: Implications on Cancer Formation and Treatment

Abstract

BRCA1 and BRCA2 are highly penetrant breast and ovarian cancer susceptibility genes that are mutated in a significant proportion of familial breast and ovarian cancer syndromes. Both of these genes are tumour suppressors, the products of which play vital roles in the cellular response to DNA damage. These proteins function in a number of cellular pathways in order to maintain genomic stability including DNA damage signaling, DNA repair, cell cycle regulation, protein ubiquitination, chromatin remodeling, transcriptional regulation and apoptosis. This chapter will discuss the functions of these proteins and how they relate to tumour development, and therapy.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Cancer Research and Cell Biology, Queen’s University Belfast, 97 Lisburn Road, BT9 7BL, Belfast, UK

    Kienan Savage & D. Paul Harkin

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  1. Kienan Savage
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  2. D. Paul Harkin
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Correspondence to Kienan Savage .

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  1. Signal Transduction Laboratory, Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Herston Road 300, Herston, 4006, Australia

    Kum Kum Khanna

  2. Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 69978, Israel

    Yosef Shiloh

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Savage, K., Harkin, D.P. (2009). BRCA1 and BRCA2: Role in the DNA Damage Response, Cancer Formation and Treatment. In: Khanna, K., Shiloh, Y. (eds) The DNA Damage Response: Implications on Cancer Formation and Treatment. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-2561-6_18

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