A cluster of breast cancer cells undergoing programmed cell death WELLCOME IMAGES, ANNIE CAVANAGH
The discovery of the blockbuster tumor suppressor gene breast cancer 1, early onset (BRCA1) in the early 1990s was a major breakthrough in unraveling the genetics of common hereditary cancers such as breast and ovarian. Yet, after nearly two decades of research, mystery still surrounds the mechanism BRCA1’s protein product employs to suppress tumor growth.
In a new study published today (October 27) in Science, researchers pegged this crucial function to a specific region of the protein known as the BRCT domains: two nearly identical stretches, around 90 amino acids long, that lie toward the carboxyl-end of the protein and are responsible for binding phosphorylated proteins.
“It’s a very important study,” said Steve Smerdon, a structural biologist at UK’s National Institute for Medical Research, who ...
