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Telomerase Deficiency Affects Normal Brain Functions in Mice

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Abstract

Telomerase maintains telomere structures and chromosome stability, and it is essential for preserving the characteristics of stem and progenitor cells. In the brain, the hippocampus and the olfactory bulbs are continuously supplied with neural stem and progenitor cells that are required for adult neurogenesis throughout the life. Therefore, we examined whether telomerase plays important roles in maintaining normal brain functions in vivo. Telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) expression was observed in the hippocampus, the olfactory bulbs, and the cerebellum, but the telomerase RNA component (TERC) was not detected in hippocampus and olfactory bulbs. Interestingly, TERT-deficient mice exhibited significantly altered anxiety-like behaviors and abnormal olfaction measuring the functions of the hippocampus and the olfactory bulbs, respectively. However, the cerebellum-dependent behavior was not changed in these mutant mice. These results suggest that TERT is constitutively expressed in the hippocampus and the olfactory bulbs, and that it is important for regulating normal brain functions.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by 21C Frontier Projects (Functional Human Genome Project, M106KB010014-07K0201-01410 and Brain Research Center, M103KV010025-07K2201-02510) from the MEST. Y.H.S. is supported by BK21 of Yonsei University from MEST.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Suwon, 440-746, Korea

    Jaehoon Lee

  2. Department of Psychology, Korea University, Seoul, 136-701, Korea

    Yong Sang Jo, Hyuk Kim, Song-Yi Kim & June-Seek Choi

  3. Department of Biochemistry, College of Life Science and Biotechnology, Yonsei Laboratory Animal Research Center, Yonsei University, Seoul, 120-749, Korea

    Jaehoon Lee, Young Hoon Sung & Han-Woong Lee

  4. Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, College of Veterinary Medicine and BK21 Program for Veterinary Science, Seoul National University, Seoul, 151-742, Korea

    In Koo Hwang, Sun Shin Yi & Je Kyung Seong

  5. Department of Anatomy, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, 136-705, Korea

    Woong Sun

  6. Cancer Research Institute, Seoul National University, Seoul, 151-742, Korea

    Je Kyung Seong

  7. Interdisciplinary Program in Bioinformatics, Seoul National University, Seoul, 151-742, Korea

    Je Kyung Seong

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  1. Jaehoon Lee
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Correspondence to Han-Woong Lee.

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Jaehoon Lee, Yong Sang Jo, Young Hoon Sung, and In Koo Hwang contributed equally to this work.

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Lee, J., Jo, Y.S., Sung, Y.H. et al. Telomerase Deficiency Affects Normal Brain Functions in Mice. Neurochem Res 35, 211–218 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11064-009-0044-3

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