BRCA1 is a
tumor-supressing
gene in
humans; if even one copy of it is damaged,
cancer can develop. Certain
mutations confer a high probability (85% lifetime risk) of developing
breast cancer, and other types cause
ovarian cancer. Familial mutations of this
gene are particularly common among people in the
Ashkenazi Jewish ethnic group.
From the BioTech Dictionary at http://biotech.icmb.utexas.edu/. For further information see the BioTech homenode.