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Query: UNIPROT:P06889 (Mol)
 630,302 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Breast cancer is a common solid malignancy in women. Over the past decade, much progress has been made in understanding the biology of breast cancer. The use of molecular and immunohistochemical techniques is providing insights that will allow us to tailor the management of patients with breast cancer. In this review, progress in the understanding of lobular carcinoma in situ and atypical ductal hyperplasia, the use of the molecular marker CerbB2, and information gained from the morphological analysis of tumours arising in patients with BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations is discussed.
Mol Pathol 2001 Oct
PMID:Molecular genetics of solid tumours: translating research into clinical practice. What we could do now: breast cancer. 1157 67

Breast cancer is among the most common tumors affecting women. It is characterized by a number of genetic aberrations. Some 5-10% of cases are thought to be inherited. The hereditary breast and ovarian cancer syndrome includes genetic alterations of various susceptibility genes, particularly BRCA1 and BRCA2. Breast tumors of patients with germ-line mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes have more genetic defects than sporadic breast tumors. Here we review new findings in the function of BRCA1 gene function. Accumulation of somatic genetic changes during tumor progression map follows a specific and more aggressive pathway of chromosome damage in these individuals. A major BRCA1 downstream target gene is the DNA damage-responsive gene GADD45. Induction of BRCA1 triggers apoptosis by activation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase/stress-activated protein kinase (JNK/SAPK). BRCA1 interacts with SWI/SNF, a chromatin remodeling complex important in gene expression. Recent advances in genomics and bioinformatics, particularly in DNA-sequencing approaches and DNA-chip technology are expected to improve identification of small molecules, which might be drugable targets. New knowledge about the genetic portrait of breast tumor is coming from differential gene expression profiling using microarrays. Human genome studies, as well as development of "DNA chips," provide a window for observing patterns of gene activity in cells, which will contribute to more accurate cancer classification. However, substantial work connected with analytical and statistical tools must still be carried out to confirm the function of differentially expressed genes. Knowledge of the molecular characteristics of breast tumor has already started to make possible the identification of breast cancer patients who could benefit from therapies that target those features. Progress in basic research into signaling provides the opportunity to attack at least some signal-transduction targets involved in proliferation, survival, invasion, angiogenesis, metastasis, and resistance. Exciting knowledge in breast cancer biology is rapidly accumulating in parallel with recent developments in rational selection and validation of relevant targets that provide unique opportunities for development of "intelligent" therapeutics.
J Mol Med (Berl) 2001 Oct
PMID:Recent advances in molecular genetics of breast cancer. 1169 53

We show here that the radiosensitive Chinese hamster cell mutant (V-C8) of group XRCC11 is defective in the breast cancer susceptibility gene Brca2. The very complex phenotype of V-C8 cells is complemented by a single human chromosome 13 providing the BRCA2 gene, as well as by the murine Brca2 gene. The Brca2 deficiency in V-C8 cells causes hypersensitivity to various DNA-damaging agents with an extreme sensitivity toward interstrand DNA cross-linking agents. Furthermore, V-C8 cells show radioresistant DNA synthesis after ionizing radiation, suggesting that Brca2 deficiency affects cell cycle checkpoint regulation. In addition, V-C8 cells display tremendous chromosomal instability and a high frequency of abnormal centrosomes. The mutation spectrum at the hprt locus showed that the majority of spontaneous mutations in V-C8 cells are deletions, in contrast to wild-type V79 cells. A mechanistic explanation for the genome instability phenotype of Brca2-deficient cells is provided by the observation that the nuclear localization of the central DNA repair protein in homologous recombination, Rad51, is reduced in V-C8 cells.
Mol Cell Biol 2002 Jan
PMID:Brca2 (XRCC11) deficiency results in radioresistant DNA synthesis and a higher frequency of spontaneous deletions. 1175 61

The proportions of mutation of BRCA1 and BRCA2 detected in familial breast cancer vary in different regions. Most breast cancer families in Sweden cannot be explained by mutations in the known major susceptibility genes. Our previous studies have found a high frequency of LOH in the Tp53 region in familial breast cancer suggesting a putative tumor suppressor gene in this region, and the Tp53 gene was excluded as predisposing gene in these families by mutation screening. In order to identify other candidate tumor suppressor genes responsible for familial breast cancer, we performed LOH analysis in 98 paired tumor and blood samples from 91 breast cancer families using 11 microsatellite markers on chromosome 17p. Two loci with high frequency of LOH were found. One spanned the Tp53 gene, the other was distal to Tp53. Linkage studies were performed on 17p with 11 microsatellite markers in 102 breast cancer families with no detectable mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene. The linkage analysis did not further support any of the regions suggested by the LOH study. However, since the Tp53 gene is already known to predispose to breast cancer as well as being involved in tumor progression, it is possible that also this region, close but distal to Tp53 contains a gene involved in familial and/or sporadic breast cancer development similar to Tp53.
Int J Mol Med 2002 Apr
PMID:A region close to Tp53 shows LOH in familial breast cancer. 1189 37

Germline mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 (BRCA1/2) genes explain a substantial proportion of hereditary breast and ovarian cancer. Women who have inherited a mutation in one of these genes are at increased risk to develop breast and/or ovarian cancer, although there is variability in the manifestation of tumors by age and site. This variability may be explained, in part, by the BRCA1/2 mutation type or location. However, it is also possible that risk-modifying factors exist that explain interindividual variability in cancer risk. These factors include genes at other loci and endogenous or exogenous exposures. A more complete understanding of factors that modify cancer risk in BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers may help to refine estimates of cancer risk. A number of exposures, including reproductive history and exogenous hormone use, have been implicated as BRCA1/2-associated cancer risk modifiers. Similarly, genes involved in hormone metabolism, including the AIB1 and AR genes, have been linked with altered breast cancer risk. Therefore, although germline BRCA1/2 mutations raise a woman's breast and ovarian cancer risk, other factors may interact with BRCA1/2 mutations to modulate this risk.
Environ Mol Mutagen 2002
PMID:Inherited predisposition and breast cancer: modifiers of BRCA1/2-associated breast cancer risk. 1192 Nov 93

Carriers of mutations in the BRCA2 gene have a high risk of developing breast and other cancers. The BRCA2 gene, which is located on human chromosome 13, encodes a very large protein of only poorly understood function. To define regions of sequence conservation and highlight potentially functionally important domains, we have cloned and characterized the chicken BRCA2 gene, the first non-mammalian BRCA2 gene to be described. The gene is organized similarly to the human BRCA2 gene, but is more compact and is localized to the subtelomeric region of chicken chromosome 1q, within a region that contains other genes from human chromosome 13. The chicken BRCA2 gene encodes a protein of 3399 amino acids, which is poorly conserved with mammalian BRCA2 proteins, having only 37% amino acid identity overall with human BRCA2. However, certain domains are much more highly conserved, indicating functional significance. We describe genes with some of these conserved domains in organisms as diverse as intracellular parasites, mosquitoes and plants. The evolutionarily divergent chicken BRCA2 sequence may also be useful in assigning the large number of sequence variants that have been described in the human BRCA2 gene which are of unknown significance in disease causation.
Hum Mol Genet 2002 Apr 01
PMID:Structural analysis of the chicken BRCA2 gene facilitates identification of functional domains and disease causing mutations. 1192 57

An acquired genetic instability, resulting from the loss of some types of DNA repair, is an early event in the development of a subset of human cancers. The involvement of BRCA1 and BRCA2 in the homologous recombination repair (HRR) of double-strand breaks in DNA implicates this pathway in the suppression of breast cancer. A family of proteins related to human RAD51, including XRCC2, are essential components of this repair pathway. Using site-directed mutagenesis of XRCC2, we show that non-conservative substitution or deletion of amino acid 188 of XRCC2 can significantly affect cellular sensitivity to DNA damage, and that a polymorphic variant at this site (R188H ), present on 6% of chromosomes in the population, has a weak effect on damage sensitivity. We tested the hypothesis that the R188H polymorphism could be a low-penetrance susceptibility factor for breast cancer, by genotyping 521 women with breast cancer and a total of 895 control women. Carriage of the rare allele of XRCC2 R188H was associated with breast cancer overall [odds ratio 1.3; 95% confidence interval (CI)=(1.0, 1.8)] and when younger-onset cases with a positive family history were compared with older controls with no family history [odds ratio 1.9; 95% CI=(1.0, 3.8)]. These results support the hypothesis that subtle variation in DNA repair capacity may influence cancer susceptibility in the population.
Hum Mol Genet 2002 Jun 01
PMID:A potential role for the XRCC2 R188H polymorphic site in DNA-damage repair and breast cancer. 1202 85

Effectiveness of radiotherapy is influenced by several genetic properties of the targeted cells. The aim of this study was the identification of prognostic indicators of tumor response to radiation in cervical and endometrial cancer. Using microsatellite DNA analysis, we investigated 31 markers, located on 1p, 2p, 2q, 3p, 9p, 9q, 13q, 17p and 17q for genomic alterations in 37 cervical and 21 endometrial cancer cases, with complete follow-up data. Genetic alterations of the initial tumor genotypes were observed after radiation in 86.5% of cervical and 81.0% of endometrial cases. Reversions to the original normal genotype were observed in 40.5 and 28.6% respectively, predominantly in cured patients rather than in recurred cases. Survival curves by the Kaplan-Meier method showed a worse prognosis for cervical cancer patients whose tumors harbor allelic imbalance (AI) on 3p or 13q, and for endometrial cancer patients whose tumors harbor AI on 13q. Our data suggest a possible association of the hMLH1 or BRCA2 genes, implicated in distinct DNA repair pathways and located on 3p and 13q respectively, with response of cervical and endometrial cancer to radiotherapy. Moreover, microsatellite DNA analysis before and after radiation treatment could be used as a marker of the clinical outcome of patients.
Int J Mol Med 2002 Jul
PMID:Allelic imbalance in hMLH1 or BRCA2 loci associated with response of cervical and endometrial cancer to radiotherapy. 1206 Aug 51

The molecular defects responsible for the cancer predisposition syndrome Fanconi's Anemia (FA) have been elusive. A recent study reports that the FANC-B and -D1 subgroups result from hypomorphic mutations in BRCA2. Given that BRCA2 protein participates in homologous recombination, this finding connects at least a subset of the FA phenotypes to defective DNA repair.
Mol Cell 2002 Jul
PMID:The two faces of BRCA2, a FANCtastic discovery. 1215 Aug 98

Surprisingly, biallelic mutations in the BRCA2 breast-cancer-susceptibility gene were found in Fanconi anemia (FA), a rare hereditary disorder characterized by chromosomal instability, hypersensitivity to DNA cross-linking agents, and cancer susceptibility. This suggests that a defect in the FA pathway might predispose to familial breast cancer. A previously reported molecular interaction between BRCA1 and the FA protein, FANCD2, supports the hypothesis that both breast-cancer-susceptibility genes are components of the FA pathway, functioning in DNA-damage response. However, an alternative hypothesis, that group FA-D1 with mutated BRCA2 represents a FA-like syndrome that is involved in a pathway distinct from the FA pathway, cannot be excluded. Similar syndromes would also be expected when recombination genes, such as Rad51 and its paralogs, are mutated.
Trends Mol Med 2002 Oct
PMID:Breast cancer and Fanconi anemia: what are the connections? 1238 64


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