1. ¹Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM, USA
2. ²Department of Radiation Oncology, The Cancer Institute of New Jersey, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, NJ, USA

Correspondence: Dr Z Shen, Department of Radiation Oncology, The Cancer Institute of New Jersey, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, 195 Little Albany Street, New Brunswick, NJ 08903, USA. E-mail: shenzh@umdnj.edu

Received 28 September 2006; Revised 5 February 2007; Accepted 9 March 2007; Published online 23 April 2007.

Abstract

The BRCA2 gene is involved in recombinational DNA repair and cytokinesis. BRCA2 defects are associated with chromosomal abnormalities, which is a hallmark of genomic instability that contributes to tumorigenesis. Here, we show that downregulation of a BRCA2 interacting protein (BCCIP) in HT1080 cells leads to chromosomal polyploidization, centrosome amplification and abnormal mitotic spindle formation. The BCCIP knockdown cells can enter mitosis and retain spindle checkpoint, but fail to complete cytokinesis. Our data suggest an essential role of BCCIP in the maintenance of genomic integrity.