V. Joukov et al., Functional communication between endogenous BRCA1 and its partner, BARD1, during Xenopus laevis development, P NAS US, 98(21), 2001, pp. 12078-12083
Citations number
38
Categorie Soggetti
Multidisciplinary
Journal title
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
The breast and ovarian susceptibility protein 1 (BRCA1) heterodimerizes wit
h its structural relative, the BRCA1-associated RING domain protein (BARD1)
, which may have tumor suppressing function in its own right. Both proteins
have evolved from a common evolutionary ancestor, and both exist in Xenopu
s laevis where, similar to their mammalian homologs, they form functional h
eterodimers. Depleting frog embryos of either BARD1 or BRCA1 led to similar
and widely defective developmental phenotypes as well as depletion of the
other polypeptide due to its decreased stability, Thus, each protein, in pa
rt, controls the abundance, stability, and function of the other, and these
effects are heterodimerization-dependent. The interdependent nature of BRC
A1 and BARD1 function supports the view that BARD1/BRCA1 heterodimers play
a major role in breast and ovarian cancer suppression.