BRCA2 in meiosis: turning over a new leaf.
Although originally thought to be confined to mammals, putative orthologues of the breast cancer susceptibility gene BRCA2 have now been found in a wide range of evolutionarily diverse taxa. These include the smut fungus Ustilago maydis, intracellular parasites, flies and vertebrates. A recent article demonstrates that two BRCA2-like genes in the plant Arabidopsis thaliana have a key role in meiosis. Investigating BRCA2 in distantly related organisms is likely to help to elucidate how the dysfunction of this gene leads to tumourigenesis.
Breakthrough Breast Cancer Research Centre, Institute of Cancer Research, Fulham Road, London SW3 6JB, UK.
Katrin
K
Gudmundsdottir
Alan
A
Ashworth
D000818:Animals; D024522:Genes, BRCA2 / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008540:Meiosis / Q000235:genetics*; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000235:genetics*; D013045:Species Specificity