BRCA1 AND BRCA2 PROTEINS - ROLES IN HEALTH AND DISEASE

Between 5% and 10% of all breast cancer is hereditary, with patients h aving a strong family history of the disease. The remaining 90-95% of cases are classed as sporadic. Within the inherited group, 80-90% of c ases are the result of germline mutations affecting two recently ident ified genes: BRCA1 and BRCA2. Since the sequencing of these genes, con siderable research on the genetics of the mutation carriers has been p erformed, with less attention having been focused on the BRCA1 and BRC A2 proteins themselves. The structure and function of the protein prod ucts thus continues to hold mystery and might be the key to the full u nderstanding of this complex disease.