Researchers discover a mechanism used by neurons to repair damage that occurs during neuronal activity. Researchers have uncovered a novel mechanism for repairing DNA damage in neurons The study reveals a protein complex that initiates a pathway to repair DNA breaks induced by neuronal activ
Researchers at Harvard Medical School have identified a DNA repair mechanism in neurons, involving a protein complex called NPAS4-NuA4. This discovery may help explain neuronal longevity and could lead to a better understanding of neurodegenerative diseases.
Yet when it comes to the brain, such usage is not entirely a good thing: While using brain cells may indeed help maintain memory and other cognitive functions throughout life, scientists have found that the associated activity also damages neurons by inviting more breaks into their DNA. If the findings are confirmed in further animal studies and then in humans, they could help scientists understand the precise process by which neurons in the brain break down during aging or in neurodegenerative diseases.Within the vast landscape of cell types in the body, neurons stand apart: Unlike most other cells, they do not regenerate, or replicate.
in 2008. A protein known to be highly specific to neurons, NPAS4 regulates the expression of activity-dependent genes to control inhibition in excitatory neurons as they respond to external stimuli. “It’s this extra layer of DNA maintenance that’s embedded within the neuronal response to activity,” Gilliam added, and it provides a “potential solution to the problem that you need a certain amount of activity to sustain neuronal health and longevity, but the activity itself is damaging.”NuA4 complex and laid out the basics of what it does, they see many future directions for their work.
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