BRCA1

Breast cancer is caused by malignant cells developing in breast tissue. It is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women, but advancements in treatment options have seen the death rate decline since the 1990s. Common warning signs of breast cancer include lumps, changes in breast size or shape, discoloration, dimpling of the skin, new concentrated pain in the breast, and rash on the nipple.  Yearly mammograms and self-exams are an important part of early detection of breast cancer.

Co-factor of BRCA1, also known as COBRA1, was first identified as a protein that binds to the tumour suppressor protein encoded by the breast cancer susceptibility gene BRCA1 (1). It was subsequently found to be identical to subunit B of the Negative Elongation Factor (NELF) complex (2). NELF is composed of four subunits (A, B, C or D, and E) and plays a pivotal role in the transcriptional pausing of RNA polymerase II.

RAD51 is a recombinase protein encoded by RAD51 gene in humans. Human RAD51 family members are highly similar to bacterial RecA and yeast Rad51, both biochemically and structurally. It is a 339-amino acid protein that plays an important role in homologous recombination (HR) of DNA during double-strand break (DSB) repair.

Nucleolin is an abundant, 106 kDa nucleolar phosphoprotein that is a major protein in actively dividing cells. The stability of nucleolin is heavily cell proliferation-dependent, as nucleolin antibody studies have shown that degraded forms are relatively abundant in quiescent non-dividing cells, while nonexist in actively dividing cells.

Mediating DNA damage is a crucial process, and one of the most important cellular guards against cancer. In response to DNA damage, sophisticated cellular machinery is recruited to repair the breaks, and if it fails, the cell is committed to death.

In the United States, breast cancer is one of the most common cancers and the second leading cause of cancer related deaths in women. According to the American Cancer Society's most recent estimates for breast cancer in the United States, there are about 200,000 new cases of invasive breast cancer, 60,000 new cases of carcinoma in situ (CIS),  and approximately 40,000 deaths from breast cancer this year.

BRCA1, also known as breast cancer type 1 susceptibility protein and RING finger protein 53, belongs to a class of genes known as tumor suppressors. BRCA1 regulates cell growth and division, and is also involved in DNA repair.

Our antibody catalog includes an extensive range of Rad51 antibody reagents. Encoded by the RAD51 gene, the Rad51 protein plays a vital role in DNA repair, interacting with several other proteins, including BRCA1 and BRCA2, to effect homologous recombination at double-strand breaks.

Human cancer research is the largest research area in our antibody database, with new oncogenes and cell lines being added all the time.

We at Novus Biologicals have an extensive antibody databasedevoted to the 13 Fanconi anaemia complementation (FANC) genes, which are involved in the recognition and repair of damaged DNA.