Linking Cell Cycle Reentry and DNA Damagein Neurodegeneration

摘要

Aberrant cell cycle activity and DNA damage have been observed in neurons in asso-ciation with various neurodegenerative conditions. While there is strong evidence for acausative role for these events in neurotoxicity, it is unclear how they are triggered andwhy they are toxic. Here, we introduce a brief background of the current view on cellcycle activity and DNA damage in neurons and speculate on their relevance to neuronalsurvival. Furthermore, we suggest that the two events may be triggered in commonby deregulation of fundamental processes, such as chromatin modulation, which arerequired for maintaining both DNA integrity and proper regulation of cell cycle geneexpressiqn.