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Increased expression, but not insertion of L1 retrotransposons in aged neural stem and progenitor cells

Fritze, Jonas LU (2015) KBK820 20151
Pure and Applied Biochemistry
Abstract
Retrotransposons are mobile elements that build up an extensive part of our genome, and can create genomic instability through new insertions. LINE1 is a subtype of transposons that are still active in human and mice, and can both copy themselves, and assist other retroelements to new insertions, but are strongly regulated by different enzymes. Neural stem and progenitor cells (NSPCs) are present in the developing and adult brain and ensure neurogenesis throughout life but declines with advancing age. So far, very little is known about retrotransposon activity during aging and nothing about their expression or function in aging NSPCs. Here we have compared retrotransposon expression and integration in NSPCs from adult and aged... (More)
Retrotransposons are mobile elements that build up an extensive part of our genome, and can create genomic instability through new insertions. LINE1 is a subtype of transposons that are still active in human and mice, and can both copy themselves, and assist other retroelements to new insertions, but are strongly regulated by different enzymes. Neural stem and progenitor cells (NSPCs) are present in the developing and adult brain and ensure neurogenesis throughout life but declines with advancing age. So far, very little is known about retrotransposon activity during aging and nothing about their expression or function in aging NSPCs. Here we have compared retrotransposon expression and integration in NSPCs from adult and aged subventricular zone in mice. We show that L1 retroevents take place in adult NSPCs, and that expression of L1 and its regulator APOBEC3 are substantially increased in aged compared to adult NSPCs but without any evidence for accumulation of new genomic insertions. (Less)
Popular Abstract
Dementia cause a lot of suffering worldwide, and is very common among older people. A larger part of the population will be affected every day as a consequence of our expanding lifespan, creating a demand of new therapeutic methods in order to successfully provide care for everyone in the future. Neural stem cells can generate new cells in the adult brain, and are closely connected to the disease as their properties worsen with age. We show that small DNA fragments with the ability to copy and paste themselves within our genome are more active in aged than adult neural stem cells, and might be involved in the impairment mechanism. These findings could eventually be used to develop new treatments for dementia.
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author
Fritze, Jonas LU
supervisor
organization
alternative title
An aging population in need of better treatments for dementia
course
KBK820 20151
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
Retrotransposons, Aging, Neural Stem Cells, LINE1, APOBEC3
language
English
id
5204503
date added to LUP
2015-05-06 14:10:37
date last changed
2016-06-01 04:08:45
@misc{5204503,
  abstract     = {{Retrotransposons are mobile elements that build up an extensive part of our genome, and can create genomic instability through new insertions. LINE1 is a subtype of transposons that are still active in human and mice, and can both copy themselves, and assist other retroelements to new insertions, but are strongly regulated by different enzymes. Neural stem and progenitor cells (NSPCs) are present in the developing and adult brain and ensure neurogenesis throughout life but declines with advancing age. So far, very little is known about retrotransposon activity during aging and nothing about their expression or function in aging NSPCs. Here we have compared retrotransposon expression and integration in NSPCs from adult and aged subventricular zone in mice. We show that L1 retroevents take place in adult NSPCs, and that expression of L1 and its regulator APOBEC3 are substantially increased in aged compared to adult NSPCs but without any evidence for accumulation of new genomic insertions.}},
  author       = {{Fritze, Jonas}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Increased expression, but not insertion of L1 retrotransposons in aged neural stem and progenitor cells}},
  year         = {{2015}},
}