Funcions duals del gen supressor de tumors FANCD2

One of the genes involved in the cancer-prone syndrome Fanconi anaemia, FANCD2, is a central node in a complex tumour suppression network. Fanconi, ATM, BRCA1 and BRCA2 proteins converge in the same pathway. This cross-talk is exemplified by the recent discovery that BRCA2 is in fact a FA gene and that FANCD patients show ataxia telangiectasia-like clinical phenotype. Little is known about the molecular biology of FANCD2, probably because of its recent cloning and due to the absence of protein domains of known function. However, recent findings suggest that FANCD2 is potentially involved in a number of biological roles all of them fully committed to prevent cancer. The aim of this project is to analyse the molecular functions of FANCD2 in (i) transcription-coupled repair of oxidative DNA damage, (ii) cellular response to ultraviolet light induced DNA damage, (iii) development, (iv) and telomere replication