The BRCA2-Interacting Protein BCCIP Functions in RAD51 and BRCA2 Focus Formation and Homologous Recombinational Repair

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Abstract
Homologous recombinational repair (HRR) of DNA damage is critical for maintaining genome stability and tumor suppression. RAD51 and BRCA2 colocalization in nuclear foci is a hallmark of HRR. BRCA2 has important roles in RAD51 focus formation and HRR of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs). We previously reported that BCCIPα interacts with BRCA2. We show that a second isoform, BCCIPβ, also interacts with BRCA2 and that this interaction occurs in a region shared by BCCIPα and BCCIPβ. We further show that chromatin-bound BRCA2 colocalizes with BCCIP nuclear foci and that most radiation-induced RAD51 foci colocalize with BCCIP. Reducing BCCIPα by 90% or BCCIPβ by 50% by RNA interference markedly reduces RAD51 and BRCA2 foci and reduces HRR of DSBs by 20- to 100-fold. Similarly, reducing BRCA2 by 50% reduces RAD51 and BCCIP foci. These data indicate that BCCIP is critical for BRCA2- and RAD51-dependent responses to DNA damage and HRR.