DNA Repair: An essential process in the body to repair the daily damage done to our DNA. But what if a new way to repair the DNA in our brain could be found? Juliette Camp, a researcher in the Department of Psychiatry, was awarded a grant to investigate this at Erasmus MC. “I want to prove that there is another new way to repair DNA in the human body.”
If the DNA is damaged and not repaired properly, the cell dies or DNA errors occur, which can lead to disease. To prevent this, DNA can repair itself, using the example of the original DNA letter code.
However, neurons (cells in the nervous system, ed.) might be an example of DNA. Because they do not share, they repair their DNA without a DNA sample. Instead, they will use the error-prone DNA repair machinery. This is something that can cause a problem with nerve cells, according to Camp. “You have nerve cells from birth. They last a lifetime and they can’t renew themselves,” she told AmazingErasmus earlier this month.
According to Camp, DNA repair using RNA (RNA is a copy of a piece of DNA, ed.) could provide an explanation. “I think many scientists find that highly unlikely,” Camp says. “It would be completely new for RNA to play its role in DNA repair. But there are very few arguments against that, so I hope I can convince them.”
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