Fanconi Anemia Signaling and Cancer

Trends Cancer. 2017 Dec;3(12):840-856. doi: 10.1016/j.trecan.2017.10.005. Epub 2017 Nov 10.

Abstract

The extremely high cancer incidence associated with patients suffering from a rare human genetic disease, Fanconi anemia (FA), demonstrates the importance of FA genes. Over the course of human tumor development, FA genes perform critical tumor-suppression roles. In doing so, FA provides researchers with a unique genetic model system to study cancer etiology. Here, we review how aberrant function of the 22 FA genes and their signaling network contributes to malignancy. From this perspective, we will also discuss how the knowledge discovered from FA research serves basic and translational cancer research.

Keywords: ATM/ATR; Fanconi anemia signaling; cancer; genome instability; tumor development and resistance.

Publication types

  • Review
  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • DNA Damage / genetics
  • Fanconi Anemia / complications
  • Fanconi Anemia / genetics*
  • Fanconi Anemia / pathology
  • Fanconi Anemia Complementation Group Proteins / genetics*
  • Humans
  • Neoplasms / complications
  • Neoplasms / genetics*
  • Neoplasms / pathology
  • Protein Processing, Post-Translational / genetics
  • Signal Transduction / genetics

Substances

  • Fanconi Anemia Complementation Group Proteins