BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes are tumor-suppressor genes that produce proteins that help repair any damage to the genetic information in a cell and halt abnormal cell growth. If these genes are mutated, then the DNA repair function is usually lost. Mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes are transmitted in an autosomal dominant pattern in a family. In the early 1990s, it was determined that mutations in the BRCA1 gene, located on chromosome 17, increase the risk of breast cancer. Shortly thereafter,... więcej

Salem Press Encyclopedia of Health, 2022. 2p.