what is brca1

BRCA1 is a gene that provides instructions for making a protein that acts as a tumor suppressor. The protein produced by the BRCA1 gene is involved in repairing damaged DNA, and it plays a critical role in maintaining the stability of a cell's genetic information. Mutations in the BRCA1 gene can lead to the production of an abnormally short version of the BRCA1 protein or prevent any protein from being made from one copy of the gene, which can result in an increased risk of developing certain cancers, most notably breast and ovarian cancer. BRCA1 and BRCA2 are sometimes called tumor suppressor genes because when they have certain changes, called harmful variants or mutations, cancer can develop. People who inherit harmful variants in one of these genes have increased risks of several cancers, and they also tend to develop cancer at younger ages than people who do not have such a variant