The thymidine synthetic nucleoside analogue bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) has a long, colorful history of repeated use in molecular and cytokinetic studies, as detailed in reviews by Vanderlaan and Dolbeare (1,2). Because BrDU is only incorporated into newly synthesized DNA in actively replicating S-phase cells, it allows for accurate and comprehensive quantitation of the pattern, rate, and progression of cell proliferation.
Breast cancer 1, early onset (BRCA1) is a well-known tumor suppressor gene that was originally discovered due to its link with early-onset breast and ovarian cancer in women. The BRCA1 protein contains the following domains: RING finger, RAD51-interaction, and BRCT (BRCA1 C-terminus). The N-terminus RING domain enables binding to several proteins - including BARD1 (BRCA1-associated RING domain protein) - allowing the formation of heterodimers. The RING finger is important for tumor suppressor activity. The RAD51-interaction domain is involved in DNA double-stranded break (DSB) repair.
