Biologie cellulaire et du développement
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DNA Repair Defects and DNA-PK in Neurodegeneration

Jyotshna Kanungo

Mammalian brain consists of two major types of cells, the neurons and glia. Mature neurons are essentially post-mitotic and do not proliferate whereas some glial cells can undergo replication especially as a response to stress or damage [1,2]. Nervous system is one of the earliest systems to develop and differentiate in almost all the species. Therefore, literally, neurons in the brain are one of the oldest cell populations in the organism. Neurons are also one of the most metabolically active cells and gene expression is two- to threefold higher in neurons than in any other cell [3]. These non-dividing, metabolically hyperactive cells are, therefore, vulnerable to risks that involve DNA damage.