Expression data from early and adult stages of mouse development

DNA repair genes have been shown to be expressed in the early stages of mammalian development probably to reduce possible replication errors and genotoixc damages. Several birth defects and some cancers are due to inappropriate or defective DNA repair machinery indicating that a right activity of DNA repair genes in the early stages of fetal development are essential for an appropriate DNA function. Neuroblastoma (NB), an embryonal tumor deriving from neural crest cells (NCCs) is diagnosed in about 30% of patients within the first year of life. Moreover, several reports show that NB can be detected in foetus and in neonatal period.

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