Immortal strands? Give me a break.
expert_opinion · Level V
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- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 17604711.
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Abstract
The "immortal strand" hypothesis proposes that asymmetrically dividing stem cells selectively retain chromosomes containing "old" DNA to prevent accumulation of mutations. As I describe in this Essay, such a possibility seems unlikely. An alternative explanation is that asymmetric cell divisions and cell fate are codirected by epigenetic differences between sister chromatids.
Medical subject headings
- Chromosome Segregation
- DNA Breaks, Single-Stranded
- DNA Repair
- DNA Replication
- Epigenesis, Genetic
- Stem Cells