Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 28, 2026

Identifying the Effects of BRCA1 Mutations on Homologous Recombination using Cells that Express Endogenous Wild-type BRCA1
Published on: February 17, 2011
Linking the cellular functions of BRCA genes to cancer pathogenesis and treatment
1Department of Oncology, University of Cambridge, and the Medical Research Council Cancer Cell Unit, Hutchison/MRC Research Center, Cambridge, UK. arv@hutchison-mrc.cam.ac.uk
Abstract:
Single-gene disorders that predispose to cancer afford a unique window into the mechanisms of carcinogenesis. I argue that the instability in chromosome structure and number provoked by inactivation of the breast cancer-susceptibility genes BRCA1 and BRCA2 arises from the distinct functions served by their products in DNA repair or mitosis, explains many features of cancer pathogenesis in this setting, and has important implications for treatment. The chromosomal instability model proposed here suggests a conceptual framework for the connections between chromosomal aberrations and cancer.
More Related Videos
09:24Silencing of BRCA2 to Identify Novel BRCA2-regulated Biological Functions in Cultured Human Cells
Published on: August 12, 2015
08:15gDNA Enrichment by a Transposase-based Technology for NGS Analysis of the Whole Sequence of BRCA1, BRCA2, and 9 Genes Involved in DNA Damage Repair
Published on: October 6, 2014
Related Concept Videos
Targeted Cancer Therapies
There are several types of targeted therapies against specific...
The Intrinsic Apoptotic Pathway
Cancer-Critical Genes I: Proto-oncogenes
When the function of certain critical genes, especially those involved in cell cycle regulation and cell growth signaling cascades, gets disrupted, it upsets the cell cycle progression. Such cells with unchecked cell cycles start proliferating uncontrollably and eventually develop into tumors.
Such genes that act...
Cancer-Critical Genes I: Proto-oncogenes
When the function of certain critical genes, especially those involved in cell cycle regulation and cell growth signaling cascades, gets disrupted, it upsets the cell cycle progression. Such cells with unchecked cell cycles start proliferating uncontrollably and eventually develop into tumors.
Such genes that act...
The Retinoblastoma Gene
The first-ever tumor suppressor gene called Rb was identified in retinoblastoma - a rare eye tumor in children. In inherited forms of the disease, a child inherits one defective copy of the Rb gene, which predisposes them to retinoblastoma. However,...
Mitogens and the Cell Cycle