The BRCT Domains of the BRCA1 and BARD1 Tumor Suppressors Differentially Regulate Homology-Directed Repair and Stalled Fork Protection

Summary The BRCA1 tumor suppressor preserves genome integrity through both homology-directed repair (HDR) and stalled fork protection (SFP). In vivo , BRCA1 exists as a heterodimer with the BARD1 tumor suppressor, and both proteins harbor a phosphate-binding BRCT domain. Here, we compare mice with mutations that ablate BRCT phospho-recognition by Bard1 ( Bard1 S563F and Bard1 K607A ) or Brca1 ( Brca1 S1598F ). Brca1 S1598F abrogates both HDR and SFP, suggesting that both pathways are likely impaired in most BRCA1 mutant tumors. Although not affecting HDR, the Bard1 mutations ablate poly(ADP-ribose)-dependent recruitment of BRCA1/BARD1 to stalled replication forks, resulting in fork degradation and chromosome instability. Nonetheless, Bard1 S563F/S563F and Bard1 K607A/K607A mice, unlike Brca1 S1598F/S1598F mice, are not tumor prone, indicating that HDR alone is sufficient to suppress tumor formation in the absence of SFP. Nevertheless, because SFP, unlike HDR, is also impaired in heterozygous Brca1/Bard1 mutant cells, SFP and HDR may contribute to distinct stages of tumorigenesis in BRCA1/BARD1 mutation carriers.