title: A long-lasting vitamin C derivative, ascorbic acid 2-phosphate, increases myogenin gene expression and promotes differentiation in L6 muscle cells.
abstract: Hormones and growth factors are important regulators of myogenic cell differentiation, but little is known about the effect of vitamins on muscle differentiation and development. We recently showed that L-ascorbic acid 2-phosphate, a stable form of vitamin C, increased the expression of muscle-specific glucose and ion transporters. We now show the effect of L-ascorbic acid 2-phosphate on the kinetics of myogenin expression at both the mRNA and protein levels during differentiation of L6 muscle cells. At the fully differentiated stage, control and L-ascorbic acid 2-phosphate treated cultures showed the same degree of cell fusion, but L-ascorbic acid 2-phosphate treated myotubes had a larger diameter than control myotubes. During L6 cell differentiation, the amount of both myogenin mRNA and protein reached a maximal level on day 4 before full myotube formation and then declined. L-ascorbic acid 2-phosphate treated cells expressed a higher amount of myogenin at both the mRNA and protein levels on day 4 compared to untreated cultures. Ethyl-3,4-dihydroxybenzoate, an inhibitor of collagen synthesis, prevented expression of myogenin mRNA and protein in both the control and L-ascorbic acid 2-phosphate treated cells. These results demonstrate that vitamin C can promote muscle differentiation likely through the increase of myogenin expression in myogenic cells, which may in turn regulate muscle differentiation in vivo.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cell Biology, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ont., Canada.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Mitsumoto
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Klip
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001205:Ascorbic Acid / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003094:Collagen / Q000502:physiology; D015870:Gene Expression / Q000187:drug effects; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D009132:Muscles / Q000166:cytology*; D018008:Myogenin / Q000235:genetics*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D051381:Rats
chemical_list: C503803:Myog protein, rat; D018008:Myogenin; D012333:RNA, Messenger; C011669:ascorbate-2-phosphate; D003094:Collagen; D001205:Ascorbic Acid