Neuronal Counter of the Life Span: Does It Exist?

摘要

Dividing cells accumulate most of the mutations during DNA replication associated with mitosis. The telomere length is a well-known countdown counter for the age of a eukaryotic organism and of mutations potentially accumulated by its cells. The genome of neurons, i.e., nondividing cells, accumulates the greatest number of mutations after the completion of cell differentiation upon excitations of the neuron and epigenetic modifications of its genome activity. Neurons accumulate much more mutations than the dividing cells. Do neurons have their own counter of potentially accumulated mutations that independently determines the life span?