Fanconi anemia group F protein (FANCF)

Fanconi anemia group F protein (FANCF) is an essential nuclear adaptor protein required for the assembly and stabilization of the FA core complex, a multi-protein structure that orchestrates the repair of DNA interstrand crosslinks and maintains genome integrity. FANCF's primary role is to bridge between subcomplexes of FA proteins, ensuring effective DNA repair by promoting the monoubiquitination of FANCD2 and downstream repair events. Inactivation of FANCF, commonly through mutation or epigenetic silencing, causes Fanconi anemia—a recessive disease characterized by bone marrow failure, congenital anomalies, and cancer risk. Somatic silencing of FANCF is also implicated in several sporadic cancers, leading to defective DNA repair and hypersensitivity to DNA crosslinking agents, making FANCF a clinically important marker of genomic instability and therapeutic vulnerability.

Other names

Fanconi anemia complementation group FFANCFProtein FACFFAFFanconi anemia group F protein

Drugs that induce DNA interstrand crosslinks (e.g., mitomycin C) induce cytotoxicity by promoting DNA lesions; FA pathway deficiency, including FANCF loss, increases sensitivity. Experimentally, epigenetic modulation (promoter hypermethylation) is used to inactivate FANCF in research settings.