Exons 11–13 encode multiple protein-binding sites6–9, including a coiled-coil domain that interacts with the product of the PALB2 breast cancer susceptibility gene10–12, allowing assembly of a BRCA1/PALB2/BRCA2 protein complex that can recruit RAD51 to the sites of DNA double strand breaks (DSBs) and thereby promote DSB repair by homologous recombination (HR)13,14. Here, PALB2 is linked to breast carcinoma.