A growing number of studies have found that the cells in your body dont have identical DNA, and your brain is no exception. A neuron can have greater or fewer numbers of chromosomes than its nearest neighbor, or segments of DNA may have jumped around in its genome. In a new study published in Science, researchers at the Salk Institute and the University of Virginia used single-cell sequencing to show that the genomes of individual neurons vary even more than previously thought. The researchers isolated DNA from 100 neurons taken from three individuals who had died. They then sequenced the genome of each of these neurons, looking for large differences between the genomes. They found that 41% of the neurons had at least one significant duplication or deletion of DNA that wasnt inherited from their parents. Although the researchers still arent sure why this extreme genetic variability occurs, they believe that it helps the brain flexibly respond to a changing environment or decrease vulnerability to a severe infection. Read more: bit.ly/1ghWb2N Journal article: Mosaic Copy Number Variation in Human Neurons. Science, 2013. DOI: 10.1126/science.1243472 Image credit: Alisons Eyes/Flickr
Posted on: Mon, 04 Nov 2013 15:31:45 +0000
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