The Fanconi anemia DNA damage repair pathway in the spotlight for germline predisposition to colorectal cancer

Eur J Hum Genet. 2016 Oct;24(10):1501-5. doi: 10.1038/ejhg.2016.44. Epub 2016 May 11.

Abstract

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common neoplasms in the world. Fanconi anemia (FA) is a very rare genetic disease causing bone marrow failure, congenital growth abnormalities and cancer predisposition. The comprehensive FA DNA damage repair pathway requires the collaboration of 53 proteins and it is necessary to restore genome integrity by efficiently repairing damaged DNA. A link between FA genes in breast and ovarian cancer germline predisposition has been previously suggested. We selected 74 CRC patients from 40 unrelated Spanish families with strong CRC aggregation compatible with an autosomal dominant pattern of inheritance and without mutations in known hereditary CRC genes and performed germline DNA whole-exome sequencing with the aim of finding new candidate germline predisposition variants. After sequencing and data analysis, variant prioritization selected only those very rare alterations, producing a putative loss of function and located in genes with a role compatible with cancer. We detected an enrichment for variants in FA DNA damage repair pathway genes in our familial CRC cohort as 6 families carried heterozygous, rare, potentially pathogenic variants located in BRCA2/FANCD1, BRIP1/FANCJ, FANCC, FANCE and REV3L/POLZ. In conclusion, the FA DNA damage repair pathway may play an important role in the inherited predisposition to CRC.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • BRCA1 Protein / genetics
  • Colorectal Neoplasms / epidemiology
  • Colorectal Neoplasms / genetics*
  • Colorectal Neoplasms / pathology
  • DNA Repair / genetics*
  • DNA-Binding Proteins / genetics
  • DNA-Directed DNA Polymerase / genetics
  • Exome
  • Fanconi Anemia / epidemiology
  • Fanconi Anemia / genetics*
  • Fanconi Anemia / pathology
  • Fanconi Anemia Complementation Group C Protein / genetics
  • Fanconi Anemia Complementation Group E Protein / genetics
  • Female
  • Genes, Dominant
  • Genetic Predisposition to Disease*
  • Germ-Line Mutation*
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Pedigree
  • Spain

Substances

  • BRCA1 Protein
  • BRCA1 protein, human
  • DNA-Binding Proteins
  • FANCC protein, human
  • FANCE protein, human
  • Fanconi Anemia Complementation Group C Protein
  • Fanconi Anemia Complementation Group E Protein
  • DNA-Directed DNA Polymerase
  • REV3L protein, human