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Carcinogenesis Advance Access published online on September 14, 2005

Carcinogenesis, doi:10.1093/carcin/bgi226
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© The Author 2005. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oupjournals.org
Received July 26, 2005
Revised August 25, 2005
Accepted September 5, 2005

MOLECULAR EPIDEMIOLOGY AND CANCER PREVENTION

Lymphocytes of BRCA1 and BRCA2 germ-line mutation carriers, with or without breast cancer, are not abnormally sensitive to the chromosome damaging effect of moderate folate deficiency

Sasja Beetstra 1, Carolyn Salisbury 2, Julie Turner 2, Meryl Altree 3, Ross McKinnon 4, Graeme Suthers 5, and Michael Fenech 2*

1 CSIRO Human Nutrition, PO Box 10041, Gouger Street, Adelaide BC 5000, SA, Australia; Sansom Research Institute, The University of South Australia, Adelaide 5000, SA, Australia
2 CSIRO Human Nutrition, PO Box 10041, Gouger Street, Adelaide BC 5000, SA, Australia
3 Familial Cancer Unit, SA Clinical Genetics Service, Children's, Youth and Women's Health Service, North Adelaide 5006, SA, Australia
4 Sansom Research Institute, The University of South Australia, Adelaide 5000, SA, Australia
5 Familial Cancer Unit, SA Clinical Genetics Service, Children's, Youth and Women's Health Service, North Adelaide 5006, SA, Australia; Department of Pediatrics, University of Adelaide, Adelaide 5003, SA, Australia

* To whom correspondence should be addressed.
Michael Fenech, E-mail: michael.fenech{at}csiro.au


   Abstract

Mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes may cause defective DNA repair and increase risk for breast cancer. Folate deficiency is associated with increased breast cancer risk and induces chromosome abnormalities. We hypothesised that BRCA1 and BRCA2 germ-line mutation carriers are more sensitive to the genome damaging effect of folate deficiency compared to healthy non-carrier controls and that this sensitivity is further increased in those carriers who develop breast cancer. We tested these hypotheses in lymphocytes cultured in medium containing 12 nM or 120 nM folic acid (FA) for 9 days and measured proliferative capacity and chromosomal instability using the cytokinesis-block micronucleus (CBMN) assay. BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers with or without breast cancer were not abnormally sensitive to FA deficiency-induced chromosome instability however BRCA2 mutation carriers had significantly reduced cell proliferation. FA deficiency reduced cell proliferation and increased micronucleus formation significantly accounting for 45-59% and 70-75% of the variance in these parameters compared to 0.3-8.5% and 0.2-0.3% contributed by BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation carrier status respectively. The results of this study suggest that moderate folate deficiency has a stronger effect on chromosomal instability than BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations found in breast cancer families.

Keywords: Breast cancer; BRCA1; BRCA2; folic acid; micronucleus assay.
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Cancer Epidemiol. Biomarkers Prev.Home page
S. Beetstra, G. Suthers, V. Dhillon, C. Salisbury, J. Turner, M. Altree, R. McKinnon, and M. Fenech
Methionine-Dependence Phenotype in the de novo Pathway in BRCA1 and BRCA2 Mutation Carriers with and without Breast Cancer
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[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]



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