The Fundamental Role of BARD1 Mutations and Their Applications as a Prognostic Biomarker for Cancer Treatment

Abstract

BRCA1-associated RING domain 1 (BARD1) constitutes a heterodimeric complex with BRAC1 that triggers several essential biological functions that regulate gene transcription and DNA double-stranded break repair mechanism. BARD1 gene was discovered in 1996 to interact with BRCA1 directly and encodes a 777-aa protein. Interestingly, the BARD1 has a dual role in breast cancer development and progression. It acts as a tumor suppressor and oncogene; therefore, it is included on panels of clinical genes as a prognostic marker. Structurally, BARD1 has homologous domains to BRCA1 that aid their heterodimer interaction to inhibit the progression of different cancers, including breast and ovarian cancers. In addition to the BRCA1-independent pathway, other pathways are involved in tumor suppression, such as the TP53-dependent apoptotic signaling pathway. However, there are abundant BARD1 isoforms that are different from full-length BARD1 due to nonsense and frameshift mutations and deletions associated with susceptibility to cancer, such as neuroblastoma, lung cancer, cervical cancer, and breast cancer. In the current chapter, we shed light on the spectrum of BARD1 full-length genes and isoform mutations and their associated risk with breast cancer. The chapter also highlights the role of BARD1 as an oncogene in breast cancer patients and its uses as a prognostic biomarker for cancer susceptibility testing and treatment