BRCA1 and viral infectious disease: Specifically: (i) BRCA1 is predominantly found within the nucleus (23, 24), albeit DNA damage as well as viral infection can alter its subcellular distribution (25); (ii) BRCA1 has been identified as a component of the RNA polymerase II holoenzyme by a number of biochemical criteria (19); (iii) the C-terminal domain of BRCA1 is highly acidic and exhibits a potent transcriptional transactivation activity (21, 26); and (iv) the N-terminal ring finger element resembles a similar motif described in several DNA-binding proteins, including the Wilms’ tumor suppressor, WT1 (1).