title: The epigenetic role of vitamin C in health and disease.
abstract: Recent advances have uncovered a previously unknown function of vitamin C in epigenetic regulation. Vitamin C exists predominantly as an ascorbate anion under physiological pH conditions. Ascorbate was discovered as a cofactor for methylcytosine dioxygenases that are responsible for DNA demethylation, and also as a likely cofactor for some JmjC domain-containing histone demethylases that catalyze histone demethylation. Variation in ascorbate bioavailability thus can influence the demethylation of both DNA and histone, further leading to different phenotypic presentations. Ascorbate deficiency can be presented systematically, spatially and temporally in different tissues at the different stages of development and aging. Here, we review how ascorbate deficiency could potentially be involved in embryonic and postnatal development, and plays a role in various diseases such as neurodegeneration and cancer through epigenetic dysregulation.
authors: John P. Hussman Institute for Human Genomics, Dr. John T. Macdonald Foundation Department of Human Genetics, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Biomedical Research Building, Rm. 608, 1501 NW 10th Ave, Miami, FL, 33136, USA.
authors: Vladimir
authors: V
authors: Camarena
authors: John P. Hussman Institute for Human Genomics, Dr. John T. Macdonald Foundation Department of Human Genetics, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Biomedical Research Building, Rm. 608, 1501 NW 10th Ave, Miami, FL, 33136, USA. gwang@med.miami.edu.|Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, 33136, USA. gwang@med.miami.edu.|Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, 33136, USA. gwang@med.miami.edu.
authors: Gaofeng
authors: G
authors: Wang
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging; D001205:Ascorbic Acid / Q000378:metabolism*; D001206:Ascorbic Acid Deficiency / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D019175:DNA Methylation / Q000502:physiology*; D049308:Dioxygenases / Q000378:metabolism; D047108:Embryonic Development / Q000502:physiology*; D044127:Epigenesis, Genetic; D044783:F-Box Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D006657:Histones / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D056484:Jumonji Domain-Containing Histone Demethylases / Q000378:metabolism*; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology; D019636:Neurodegenerative Diseases / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D012614:Scurvy / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D044783:F-Box Proteins; D006657:Histones; D049308:Dioxygenases; D056484:Jumonji Domain-Containing Histone Demethylases; C534524:KDM2A protein, human; D001205:Ascorbic Acid
keywords: DNA methylation; Epigenetics; Histone methylation; JmjC domain-containing histone demethylases; Methylcytosine dioxygenase; Scurvy; Vitamin C