Terminally differentiated astrocytes lack DNA damage response signaling and are radioresistant but retain DNA repair proficiency.

ABSTRACT: The impact and consequences of damage generation into genomic DNA, especially in the form of DNA double-strand breaks, and of the DNA-damage response (DDR) pathways that are promptly activated, have been elucidated in great detail. Most of this research, however, has been performed on proliferating, often cancerous, cell lines. In a mammalian body, the majority of cells are terminally differentiated (TD), and derives from a small pool of self-renewing somatic stem cells. Here, we comparatively studied DDR signaling and radiosensitivity in neural stem cells (NSC) and their TD-descendants, astrocytes - the predominant cells in the mammalian brain. Astrocytes have important roles in brain physiology, development and plasticity. We discovered that NSC activate canonical DDR upon exposure to io

SUBMITTER: Schneider L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3307974 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature