BRCA1 DNA repair associated
Last updated 3 Apr 2025
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The BRCA1 gene provides instructions for making a protein that acts as a tumour suppressor. Tumour suppressor proteins help prevent cells from growing and dividing too rapidly or in an uncontrolled way.
Normal function
The BRCA1 gene provides instructions for making a protein that acts as a tumour suppressor. Tumour suppressor proteins help prevent cells from growing and dividing too rapidly or in an uncontrolled way.
The BRCA1 protein is involved in repairing damaged DNA. In the nucleus of many types of normal cells, the BRCA1 protein interacts with several other proteins to mend breaks in DNA. These breaks can be caused by natural and medical radiation or other environmental exposures, and they also occur when chromosomes exchange genetic material in preparation for cell division. By helping to repair DNA, the BRCA1 protein plays a critical role in maintaining the stability of a cell's genetic information.
Research suggests that the BRCA1 protein also regulates the activity of other genes and plays an essential role in embryonic development. To carry out these functions, the BRCA1 protein interacts with many other proteins, including other tumour suppressors and proteins that regulate cell division.
Conditions referring to this gene or chromosome
Other names
BRCA1 gene
BRCA1_HUMAN
BRCC1
breast cancer 1
breast cancer 1 gene
breast cancer 1, early onset
breast cancer 1, early onset gene
breast cancer type 1 susceptibility gene
breast cancer type 1 susceptibility protein
IRIS
PPP1R53
PSCP
RNF53
Further reading and references
- BRCA1 DNA repair associated; MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine.
- Antoniou A, Pharoah PD, Narod S, Risch HA, Eyfjord JE, Hopper JL, Loman N, Olsson H, Johannsson O, Borg A, Pasini B, Radice P, Manoukian S, Eccles DM, Tang N, Olah E, Anton-Culver H, Warner E, Lubinski J, Gronwald J, Gorski B, Tulinius H, Thorlacius S, Eerola H, Nevanlinna H, Syrjakoski K, Kallioniemi OP, Thompson D, Evans C, Peto J, Lalloo F, Evans DG, Easton DF. Average risks of breast and ovarian cancer associated with BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations detected in case Series unselected for family history: a combined analysis of 22 studies. Am J Hum Genet. 2003 May;72(5):1117-30. doi: 10.1086/375033. Epub 2003 Apr 3.
- Chen S, Parmigiani G. Meta-analysis of BRCA1 and BRCA2 penetrance. J Clin Oncol. 2007 Apr 10;25(11):1329-33. doi: 10.1200/JCO.2006.09.1066.
- Foulkes WD, Shuen AY. In brief: BRCA1 and BRCA2. J Pathol. 2013 Aug;230(4):347-9. doi: 10.1002/path.4205.
- Foulkes WD. BRCA1 and BRCA2 - update and implications on the genetics of breast cancer: a clinical perspective. Clin Genet. 2014 Jan;85(1):1-4. doi: 10.1111/cge.12291. Epub 2013 Oct 25. No abstract available.
- Friebel TM, Domchek SM, Rebbeck TR. Modifiers of cancer risk in BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers: systematic review and meta-analysis. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2014 Jun;106(6):dju091. doi: 10.1093/jnci/dju091.
- Kobayashi H, Ohno S, Sasaki Y, Matsuura M. Hereditary breast and ovarian cancer susceptibility genes (review). Oncol Rep. 2013 Sep;30(3):1019-29. doi: 10.3892/or.2013.2541. Epub 2013 Jun 19.
- National Cancer Institute: Genetics of Breast and Gynecologic Cancers (PDQ®)–Health Professional Version
- Nelson HD, Fu R, Goddard K, Mitchell JP, Okinaka-Hu L, Pappas M, Zakher B. Risk Assessment, Genetic Counseling, and Genetic Testing for BRCA-Related Cancer: Systematic Review to Update the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation [Internet]. Rockville (MD): Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (US); 2013 Dec. Report No.: 12-05164-EF-1. Available from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK179201/
- Oh M, McBride A, Yun S, Bhattacharjee S, Slack M, Martin JR, Jeter J, Abraham I. BRCA1 and BRCA2 Gene Mutations and Colorectal Cancer Risk: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2018 Nov 1;110(11):1178-1189. doi: 10.1093/jnci/djy148.
- Pennington KP, Swisher EM. Hereditary ovarian cancer: beyond the usual suspects. Gynecol Oncol. 2012 Feb;124(2):347-53. doi: 10.1016/j.ygyno.2011.12.415.
- Petrucelli N, Daly MB, Pal T. BRCA1- and BRCA2-Associated Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer. 1998 Sep 4 [updated 2026 Mar 25]. In: Adam MP, Bick S, Mirzaa GM, Wallace SE, Amemiya A, editors. GeneReviews(R) [Internet]. Seattle (WA): University of Washington, Seattle; 1993-2026. Available from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK1247/
- Shulman LP. Hereditary breast and ovarian cancer (HBOC): clinical features and counseling for BRCA1 and BRCA2, Lynch syndrome, Cowden syndrome, and Li-Fraumeni syndrome. Obstet Gynecol Clin North Am. 2010 Mar;37(1):109-33, Table of Contents. doi: 10.1016/j.ogc.2010.03.003.
- Toss A, Tomasello C, Razzaboni E, Contu G, Grandi G, Cagnacci A, Schilder RJ, Cortesi L. Hereditary ovarian cancer: not only BRCA 1 and 2 genes. Biomed Res Int. 2015;2015:341723. doi: 10.1155/2015/341723. Epub 2015 May 17.
- Walsh T, Casadei S, Coats KH, Swisher E, Stray SM, Higgins J, Roach KC, Mandell J, Lee MK, Ciernikova S, Foretova L, Soucek P, King MC. Spectrum of mutations in BRCA1, BRCA2, CHEK2, and TP53 in families at high risk of breast cancer. JAMA. 2006 Mar 22;295(12):1379-88. doi: 10.1001/jama.295.12.1379.
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