Vitamin C regulates Schwann cell myelination by promoting DNA demethylation of pro-myelinating genes

Tyler C. Huff, David W. Sant, Vladimir Camarena, Derek Van Booven, Nadja S. Andrade, Sushmita Mustafi, Paula V. Monje, Gaofeng Wang

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

13 Scopus citations

Abstract

Ascorbic acid (vitamin C) is critical for Schwann cells to myelinate peripheral nerve axons during development and remyelination after injury. However, its exact mechanism remains elusive. Vitamin C is a dietary nutrient that was recently discovered to promote active DNA demethylation. Schwann cell myelination is characterized by global DNA demethylation in vivo and may therefore be regulated by vitamin C. We found that vitamin C induces a massive transcriptomic shift (n = 3,848 genes) in primary cultured Schwann cells while simultaneously producing a global increase in genomic 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC), a DNA demethylation intermediate which regulates transcription. Vitamin C up-regulates 10 pro-myelinating genes which exhibit elevated 5hmC content in both the promoter and gene body regions of these loci following treatment. Using a mouse model of human vitamin C metabolism, we found that maternal dietary vitamin C deficiency causes peripheral nerve hypomyelination throughout early development in resulting offspring. Additionally, dietary vitamin C intake regulates the expression of myelin-related proteins such as periaxin (PRX) and myelin basic protein (MBP) during development and remyelination after injury in mice. Taken together, these results suggest that vitamin C cooperatively promotes myelination through 1) increased DNA demethylation and transcription of pro-myelinating genes, and 2) its known role in stabilizing collagen helices to form the basal lamina that is necessary for myelination. (Figure presented.).

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1759-1773
Number of pages15
JournalJournal of Neurochemistry
Volume157
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 2021

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
This work is supported by an NIH grant (R01NS089525 to G.W.) and a Craig H. Neilsen Foundation grant (339576 to P.V.M). G.W is supported by Sylvester NIH Funding Program from Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 International Society for Neurochemistry

Keywords

  • 5-hydroxymethylcytosine
  • DNA demethylation
  • Schwann cell
  • myelin
  • vitamin C

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Biochemistry
  • Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience

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