The tumor suppressor BRCA1 is a translational regulator

BRCA1 inactivation is a hallmark of familial breast cancer, often encountered in aggressive triple negative breast cancers. BRCA1 is a tumor suppressor with known functions in DNA repair, transcription regulation, cell cycle control, and apoptosis. In the present study, we demonstrate that BRCA1 is also a translational regulator. Based on the combination of RNA-binding protein immunoprecipitation and microarray analysis, as well as polysome profiling, we identified a subset of mRNAs translationally regulated by BRCA1 and coding for proteins whose functions play major role in cancer. We found that the level of these key proteins is similarly controlled in human mammary tumors according to their BRCA1-status. Therefore, our results propose translational control as a novel molecular mechanism with clinical relevance through which BRCA1 is a tumor suppressor. The experiment is realised on breast carcinoma MCF-7 cell line and is based on the combination of RNA-binding protein immunoprecipitation and transcriptome analysis with microarray technology, as well as polysome profiling