Nova Southeastern University researchers discovered that tissues of different mammalian organs have very different abilities when it comes to repairing damaged DNA. The findings showed the heart has the greatest capability of repairing its DNA. This was followed by the intestines, kidneys, spleen, testes, and lungs. However, the brain showed no ability to repair its DNA. Although their study was conducted on mouse cell tissue cultures, they stated that the same results would occur in human tissue. They exposed growing cells to ultraviolet light to simulate sunlight and cause extensive DNA damage. They used skin cells as their control group and then exposed the other organs to ultraviolet light. The researchers then measured the amount of DNA repair performed by nucleotide excision repair.
Nucleotide excision repair requires a high level of metabolic investment by their respective cells. The brain cells use their energy to focus on more essential activities and are not commonly exposed to ultraviolet light. Lead investigator Jean Latimer, Ph.D., associate professor of pharmaceutical sciences at NSU's College of Pharmacy said, "The human body was not designed to live past 30 or 40 years, so our brains haven't prioritized DNA repair over other necessary functions. Our brains are frequently not physically prepared to last as long as medical science is now allowing our bodies to live. These findings could help explain a root cause behind memory loss and dementia."
I found this article intriguing due to its finding of a simple but incredibly important problem with the brain. I was surprised by the brain's inability to perform nucleotide excision repair, since it is a common DNA repair function and the brain is a highly complex organelle. This article made me wonder if the brain's inability to perform nucleotide excision repair was due to it never being present in its cells, or if it was an ability slowly lost through evolution. I hope that with this research, scientists may uncover new ways to possibly combat memory loss and dementia by finding a way to make brain cells capable of this type of DNA repair.
Original Article: http://nsunews.nova.edu/nova-southeastern-university-researchers-discover-dna-repair-is-high-in-heart-nonexistent-in-brain/
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