Given the fact that DNA lesions caused by replication blockages are the primary substrates for HR in mitotic cells, functional analysis of BRCA1 in HR repair in the context of replication stress should benefit our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying tumorigenesis associated with BRCA1 deficiencies, as well as the development of therapeutic approaches for cancer patients carrying BRCA1 mutations or reduced BRCA1 expression. Here, BRCA1 is linked to cancer.