| First Author | DiTroia SP | Year | 2019 |
| Journal | Nature | Volume | 573 |
| Issue | 7773 | Pages | 271-275 |
| PubMed ID | 31485074 | Mgi Jnum | J:284723 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:6386030 | Doi | 10.1038/s41586-019-1536-1 |
| Citation | DiTroia SP, et al. (2019) Maternal vitamin C regulates reprogramming of DNA methylation and germline development. Nature 573(7773):271-275 |
| abstractText | Development is often assumed to be hardwired in the genome, but several lines of evidence indicate that it is susceptible to environmental modulation with potential long-term consequences, including in mammals(1,2). The embryonic germline is of particular interest because of the potential for intergenerational epigenetic effects. The mammalian germline undergoes extensive DNA demethylation(3-7) that occurs in large part by passive dilution of methylation over successive cell divisions, accompanied by active DNA demethylation by TET enzymes(3,8-10). TET activity has been shown to be modulated by nutrients and metabolites, such as vitamin C(11-15). Here we show that maternal vitamin C is required for proper DNA demethylation and the development of female fetal germ cells in a mouse model. Maternal vitamin C deficiency does not affect overall embryonic development but leads to reduced numbers of germ cells, delayed meiosis and reduced fecundity in adult offspring. The transcriptome of germ cells from vitamin-C-deficient embryos is remarkably similar to that of embryos carrying a null mutation in Tet1. Vitamin C deficiency leads to an aberrant DNA methylation profile that includes incomplete demethylation of key regulators of meiosis and transposable elements. These findings reveal that deficiency in vitamin C during gestation partially recapitulates loss of TET1, and provide a potential intergenerational mechanism for adjusting fecundity to environmental conditions. |
