Breakable genes may promote disease, brain cell diversity
Friday, February 12, 2016 - 12:31
in Biology & Nature
Researchers have identified 27 genes in brain stem cells that are prone to a type of DNA damage. The fragility of those genes could explain why they are often mutated or deleted in cancers and neuropsychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia. But their tendency to break could also benefit the brain by providing a way to produce a greater diversity of neurons.