Do arrays of ultraconserved non-coding regions span the loci of key developmental genes in vertebrate genomes?
The genomic organization of UCRs, combined with previous findings, suggests that UCRs act as essential long-range modulators of gene expression. The exceptional sequence conservation and clustered structure suggests that UCR-mediated molecular events involve greater complexity than traditional DNA binding by transcription factors. The high-resolution UCR collection presented here provides a wealth of target sequences for future experimental studies to determine the nature of the biochemical mechanisms involved in the preservation of arrays of nearly identical non-coding sequences over the course of vertebrate evolution.
AELE increased the neuro-inflammatory cellular response in the juvenile HP. We speculate that increased neuro-inflammatory responses may contribute to impaired neurogenesis seen in this model.