FANCP/SLX4: A Swiss army knife of DNA interstrand crosslink repair

Fanconi anemia (FA) is a rare genetic disease characterized by congenital abnormalities, bone marrow failure and heightened cancer susceptibility. The FA proteins are known to function in the cellular defense against DNA interstrand crosslinks (ICLs), a process that remains poorly understood. A recent spate of discoveries has led to the identification of one new FA gene, FANCP/SLX4, and two strong candidate FA genes, FAN1 and RAD51C. In this perspective we describe the discovery of FANCP/SLX4 and discuss how these new findings collectively refine our understanding of DNA ICL repair. © 2011 Landes Bioscience