Myriad Genetics other research news

Researchers from MYGN and other institutions published in Nature Genetics the complete sequence of the BRCA2 tumor suppressor gene and mutations that disrupt the production of the BRCA2 protein. The gene is thought to be responsible for about 40 percent of early onset, hereditary breast cancer cases. Both BRCA1 and BRCA2 are believed to be responsible for about 90 percent of such breast cancers, and about 90 percent of ovarian cancers.

BRCA2 is quite similar to BRCA1 in several ways, according to the article. However, whether both participate in the same pathway of tumor suppression in breast epithelium is not known. The different phenotypes of the two mutant genes, and particularly the role of BRCA2 in male breast cancer, suggest that they may not function in the same genetic pathway. ...