title: Human BRCA1 inhibits growth in yeast: potential use in diagnostic testing.
abstract: Germline-inactivating mutations of BRCA1 result in a hereditary predisposition to breast and ovarian cancer. Truncating mutations of BRCA1 predispose to cancer and can be ascertained by protein truncation testing or sequencing. However, cancer-predisposing missense mutations of BRCA1 are difficult to distinguish from polymorphisms by genetic testing methods currently used. Here we show that expression of BRCA1 or BRCA1 fused to a GAL4 activation domain in Saccharomyces cerevesiae inhibits growth, resulting in small colonies easily distinguishable from vector-transformed controls. The growth inhibitory effect can be localized to sequences encoding the recently described BRCA1 C-terminal domains. Growth suppression by a BRCA1 fusion protein is not influenced by introduction of neutral polymorphisms but is diminished or abolished by frameshift, nonsense, or disease-associated missense mutations located in the C-terminal 305 amino acids of BRCA1. These observations may permit the functional significance of many BRCA1 sequence changes to be assessed in yeast. Additionally, the correlation of growth suppression with wild-type forms of BRCA1 suggests that the assay may be capable of detecting functionally conserved interactions between the evolutionarily conserved BRCA1 C-terminal domains and cellular elements found in both human and yeast cells.
authors.affiliation: Medicine Branch, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA. jshumphr@helix.nih.gov
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Humphrey
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Salim
authors.forename: M R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Erdos
authors.forename: F S
authors.initials: FS
authors.lastname: Collins
authors.forename: L C
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Brody
authors.forename: R D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Klausner
mesh_terms: D019313:BRCA1 Protein / Q000032:analysis* / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis*; D015153:Blotting, Western; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D005260:Female; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D005690:Galactose / Q000494:pharmacology; D015870:Gene Expression / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development*; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; D017384:Sequence Deletion; D013997:Time Factors; D014157:Transcription Factors
chemical_list: D019313:BRCA1 Protein; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D005656:Fungal Proteins; C052130:GAL4 protein, S cerevisiae; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D029701:Saccharomyces cerevisiae Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; D005690:Galactose