# Molecular Functions of BRCA2 and RAD51 Paralogs in Homologous Recombination and Chromosome Maintenance

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT DAVIS · 2024 · $368,288

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
 The broad objective of this proposal is to understand the molecular mechanism of homologous
recombination (HR) in humans, and to understand how the consequences of defects in recombinational DNA
repair result in chromosomal instability that underlie the predisposition to cancers. The proteins involved in a
central step of HR, DNA pairing, include RAD51, BRCA2, and the RAD51 paralogs, RAD51B, RAD51C,
RAD51D, XRCC2, and XRCC3. Mutations in these proteins are known to predispose individuals to cancer. The
objective is to understand the functions of these proteins in genome maintenance via recombinational DNA
repair, and how these proteins mediate and potentiate homologous DNA pairing by RAD51. We propose to
understand their mechanisms of action through biochemical analyses of reconstituted reactions using purified
proteins; characterization of defective mutant proteins identified in the patient population, and by visualizing the
individual behavior of these proteins acting on single molecules of DNA. The Specific Aims are to understand
the molecular functions of BRCA2 protein and to determine the functions of the RAD51 paralogs in RAD51
filament formation and RAD51-dependent DNA pairing.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10945156
- **Project number:** 1R01CA293029-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT DAVIS
- **Principal Investigator:** Stephen Charles Kowalczykowski
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $368,288
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-07-10 → 2029-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10945156

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10945156, Molecular Functions of BRCA2 and RAD51 Paralogs in Homologous Recombination and Chromosome Maintenance (1R01CA293029-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10945156. Licensed CC0.

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