Ubiquitination is an essential biochemical process which occurs in all cells of our body and consists of the attachment of a small protein called ubiquitin to various cellular proteins. This labeling system marks the target proteins as no longer needed and induces their degradation. With this capability, the ubiquitin system protects against breast cancer development. The goal of my research is to determine how ubiquitination regulates the function of the tumour suppressor BRCA1, a subject about which very little is currently known. Of major relevance, BRCA1 mutations dramatically increase the risk of breast cancer. The plan is to use molecular and cellular biology approaches to determine how ubiquitination regulates the function of BRCA1. This will not only shed new light on our understanding of breast cancer development but might also provide highly significant information for the treatment of breast cancer.

This research project is jointly funding with the Quebec Breast Cancer Foundation.