Posted on 07/21/2021 8:55:42 AM PDT by Red Badger
Vitamin C is a key ingredient for immune cell function. Credit: La Jolla Institute for Immunology
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Harnessing the combined power of Vitamin C and TET proteins may give scientists a leg up in treating autoimmune diseases.
You can’t make a banana split without bananas. And you can’t generate stable regulatory T cells without Vitamin C or enzymes called TET proteins, it appears.
Regulatory T cells (Tregs) help control inflammation and autoimmunity in the body. Tregs are so important, in fact, that scientists are working to generate stable induced Tregs (iTregs) in vitro for use as treatments for autoimmune diseases as well as rejection to transplanted organs. Unfortunately, it has proven difficult to find the right molecular ingredients to induce stable iTregs.
Now scientists at La Jolla Institute for Immunology and Emory University School of Medicine report that Vitamin C and TET proteins can work together to give Tregs their life-saving power.
“Vitamin C can be used to stabilize iTregs generated in vitro,” says LJI Instructor Xiaojing Yue, Ph.D., who served as co-first author for the EMBO Reports study. “We hope that these kinds of induced Tregs can be used in the future for treatment of autoimmune diseases and organ transplantation.”
The recent study, led by LJI Professor Anjana Rao, Ph.D., and Emory Instructor Benjamin G Barwick, Ph.D., builds on the previous discovery that Vitamin C can enhance the enzymatic activity of TET proteins and prompt the generation of stable iTregs under lab conditions.
This finding was encouraging, but the scientists did not want to work toward new autoimmune therapies without first analyzing the gene expression patterns and other key epigenetic features of the induced Tregs.
“We wanted to study the entire system at a whole genome level using next generation sequencing technology to better understand the molecular features of these cells,” says Yue.
Study co-first author Daniela Samaniego-Castruita, a graduate student at LJI, spearheaded the analysis of gene expression and epigenetic changes in the iTregs. A major type of epigenetic modification involves the DNA itself through the addition or removal of molecules called methyl groups from cytosines, one of the four DNA bases. The methyl groups can be further oxidized by TET enzymes. All of these interactions can eventually change how cells “read” the DNA code.
Another type of epigenetic change involves the alteration of DNA accessibility: whether DNA is loosely or tightly coiled. As the DNA coils unwind, regulatory regions become exposed which subsequently influence gene expression.
In their analysis, the researchers found TET proteins are absolutely required for maintaining the gene expression and epigenetic features that make Tregs as what they are; and adding Vitamin C led to iTregs with similar similar gene expression and epigenetic features as normal “wild type” Tregs found in the body. The study also reveals an intriguing connection between TET enzymatic activity, Vitamin C and IL-2/STAT5 signaling.
“In mice that are deficient for components of IL-2/STAT5 signaling, such as IL-2, IL-2 receptors or STAT5, the Tregs cannot develop properly or they can have impaired function,” Yue says.
The researchers demonstrate that on one hand, TET-deficiency in Treg cells leads to impaired IL-2/STAT5 signaling; on the other hand, Vitamin C confers iTregs enhanced IL-2/STAT5 signaling by increasing the expression level of IL-2 receptor and the functional form of STAT5, and STAT5 binding to essential regions in the genome, rendering these cells survive better in tough environments with low IL-2 supplementation.
“We are looking for more small molecules to stabilize TET activity and generate induced Tregs that are even more stable,” says Yue. “These induced Tregs could eventually be used to treat patients.”
“This research gives us a new way to think about treating autoimmune diseases,” says Samaniego-Castruita.
Reference: “Whole-genome analysis of TET dioxygenase function in regulatory T cells” 21 July 2021, EMBO Reports. DOI: 10.15252/embr.202152716
The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health (R01 grants R35 CA210043 and AI 12858901; S10 RR027366, S10OD016262), a CONACYT/UCMEXUS fellowship, CIRM UCSD Interdisciplinary Stem Cell Research & Training Grant II (TG2-01154), the American Cancer Society (PF-17-109-1-TBG), a Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation Fellowship, an American Society of Hematology Scholar Award and institutional funds through Emory University.
Additional study authors are Edahí González-Avalos and Xiang Li.
FWIW, I take 10,000 iu of Vit D3 and 1000 mg of Vit C per day. Knock on wood, have not been sick in years and don’t, as far as I know, have kidney stones.
Yup, we’ve working our way into a deep hole with crap from China.
I generally take 1-2 grams of vitamin c daily. but i’ve seen many trials that were neutral to inconclusive as to the benefits of vitamin C.
that said, I’ve not had a cold many many years.
I do take about 10k iu of d3 plus k2.
Lately I’ve started taking two grams of b3 timed release niacin for my cardiovascular system. the time release makes it easy to do the high doses. You don’t get any benefit from the no flush version.
I generally take 1-2 grams of vitamin c daily. but i’ve seen many trials that were neutral to inconclusive as to the benefits of vitamin C.
that said, I’ve not had a cold many many years.
I do take about 10k iu of d3 plus k2.
Lately I’ve started taking two grams of b3 timed release niacin for my cardiovascular system. the time release makes it easy to do the high doses. You don’t get any benefit from the no flush version.
Yes, Pauling did have it right, but during his lifetime he was ostracized by the medical community for his advocacy of Vitamin C. A good read:
PRACTICING MEDICINE WITHOUT A LICENSE? THE STORY OF THE LINUS PAULING THERAPY FOR HEART DISEASE by Owen Fonorow.
I take 5500 IUs of D3...................
Thx for your concern...I’m more concerned about controlling auto immune disease I have...and I am very well hydrated.
D3, Vit C, Zinc and magnesium and you are damn near virally bulletproof! Haven’t been sick in over 30 year since I started this. COVID vaccine can suck it!
i was doing 5k iu d3 until covid. then I upped it to 10k. may go back down to 5k in a year.
i was doing 5k iu d3 until covid. then I upped it to 10k. may go back down to 5k in a year.
i was doing 5k iu d3 until covid. then I upped it to 10k. may go back down to 5k in a year.
I don’t take any vit C and don’t ever get cold symptoms. When I take vit C I came down with the flu.
Gotta take D3 with it...................
Interesting..
I take 2 vitamins. C and D3. I have RA so naturally a low immune system.
I’ve been taking 1,000 mg of C for years and double up in winter. For some reason I felt like I needed D3 so I started taking that about a year ago. Knock on wood, I’ve been free of colds and flu since. It may not work for everyone.
I’ve heard that what you don’t use/need passes thru your system anyway.
Def rose hips!
I miss my coated Vit C caplets. What you can find are so expensive so I choke on the non-coated dryer caps.
We give IV Vitamin "C" in Hospitals....
Liposomal is equal to IV....
And you can make it yourself....
I thought calcium was a culprit for kidney stones. I have a calcium deposit in my brain that caused me to pass out. I didn’t know one could get calcium deposits anywhere in the body. I do now!
You heard right......Try Liposomal Vit.”C”
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