Breast cancer protection by genomic imprinting in close kin families

Abstract

Human inbreeding generally reduces breast cancer risk (BCR). When the parents are biologically related, their infants have a lower birth weight due to smaller body organs. The undersized breasts, because of fewer mammary stem cells, have a lower likelihood of malignant conversion. Fetal growth is regulated by genomically imprinted genes which are in conflict; they promote growth when derived from the father and suppress growth when derived from the mother. The kinship theory explicates that the intensity of conflict between these genes affects growth and therefore the size of the newborn. In descendants of closely related parents, this gene clash is less resulting in a smaller infant. In this review, we elucidate the different mechanisms by which human inbreeding affects BCR, and why this risk is dissimilar in different inbred populations.