Partner and localizer of BRCA2 (PALB2) plays a critical role in homologous recombination repair (HRR) through its ability to recruit BRCA2 and RAD51 to DNA breaks. PALB2 serves as the molecular scaffold in the formation of the BRCA1-PALB2-BRCA2 comple, Xenopus/Amphibian, which is essential for homologous recombination. PALB2 strongly stimulates the DNA strand-invasion activity of RAD51, stabilizes the nucleoprotein filament against a disruptive BRC3-BRC4 polypeptide and helps RAD51 to overcome the suppressive effect of replication protein A (RPA). Defects in PALB2 are the cause of Fanconi anemia complementation group N (FANCN). FANCN is a disorder affecting all bone marrow elements and resulting in anemia, leukopenia and thrombopenia.