DNA hydroxymethylation and its mediated DNA demethylation are critical for multiple cellular processes, for example, nuclear reprogramming, embryonic development, and many diseases. Here, we demonstrate that a vital nutrient ascorbic acid (AA), or vitamin C (Vc), can directly enhance the catalytic activity of Tet dioxygenases for the oxidation of 5-methylcytosine (5mC). As evidenced by changes in intrinsic fluorescence and catalytic activity of Tet2 protein caused by AA and its oxidation-resistant derivatives, we further show that AA can uniquely interact with the C-terminal catalytic domain of Tet enzymes, which probably promotes their folding and/or recycling of the cofactor Fe 2+ . Other strong reducing chemicals do not have a similar effect. These results suggest that AA also acts as a cofactor of Tet enzymes. In mouse embryonic stem cells, AA significantly increases the levels of all 5mC oxidation products, particularly 5-formylcytosine and 5-carboxylcytosine (by more than an order of magnitude), leading to a global loss of 5mC (∼40%). In cells deleted of the Tet1 and Tet2 genes, AA alters neither 5mC oxidation nor the overall level of 5mC. The AA effects are however restored when Tet2 is re-expressed in the Tet-deficient cells. The enhancing effects of AA on 5mC oxidation and DNA demethylation are also observed in a mouse model deficient in AA synthesis. Our data establish a direct link among AA, Tet, and DNA methylation, thus revealing a role of AA in the regulation of DNA modifications. ■ INTRODUCTIONDNA demethylation remarkably contributes to the dynamics of the epigenetic marker 5-methylcytosine (5mC) in mammals and is critical for multiple biological processes, including animal cloning, 1 nuclear reprogramming, 2,3 development, 4−8 and highly locus-specific regulation of gene activities. 9−11 DNA demethylation can be initiated by the oxidation of 5mC and the formation of 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC), which are catalyzed by ten eleven translocation (Tet) family dioxygenases. 12−15 The formed 5hmC can be diluted by DNA replication, suggesting a passive DNA demethylation pathway. 16 Moreover, the 5hmC can be further oxidized by Tet proteins to form 5-formylcytosine (5fC) and 5-carboxylcytosine (5caC), which can be excised by thymine DNA glycosylase (TDG) followed by the reintroduction of unmethylated cytosine through the base-excision repair (BER) pathway. 14,15 This important pathway for active DNA demethylation has been thought to be involved in a number of prominent biological processes. 5,6,10,11 Early and recent studies suggested that active and replication-independent DNA demethylation might be a rapid process. 10,11 The radically altered methylation, as observed in replication-independent demethylation of the paternal genome in zygotes, may complete within hours. 5,6,17−19 However, the observed levels of the active DNA demethylation intermediates, 5fC and 5caC in the cultured cells, were 100-fold less than the primary product 5hmC. 13−15,20−22 Biochemically, the Tet-mediated DNA dem...

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DNA methylation has been proven to be a critical epigenetic mark important for various cellular processes. Here, we report that redox-active quinones, a ubiquitous class of chemicals found in natural products, cancer therapeutics and environment, stimulate the conversion of 5mC to 5hmC in vivo, and increase 5hmC in 5751 genes in cells. 5hmC increase is associated with significantly altered gene expression of 3414 genes. Interestingly, in quinone-treated cells, labile iron-sensitive protein ferritin light chain showed a significant increase at both mRNA and protein levels indicating a role of iron regulation in stimulating Tet-mediated 5mC oxidation. Consistently, the deprivation of cellular labile iron using specific chelator blocked the 5hmC increase, and a delivery of labile iron increased the 5hmC level. Moreover, both Tet1/Tet2 knockout and dimethyloxalylglycine-induced Tet inhibition diminished the 5hmC increase. These results suggest an iron-regulated Tet-dependent DNA demethylation mechanism mediated by redox-active biomolecules.

One of the most central questions about the repair of a double-strand DNA break (DSB) concerns how the two free DNA ends are brought together — a step called synapsis. Using single-molecule FRET (smFRET), we show here that both Ku plus XRCC4:DNA ligase IV are necessary and sufficient to achieve a flexible synapsis of blunt DNA ends, whereas either alone is not. Addition of XLF causes a transition to a close synaptic state, and maximum efficiency of close synapsis is achieved within 20 min. The promotion of close synapsis by XLF indicates a role that is independent of a filament structure, with action focused at the very ends of each duplex. DNA-PKcs is not required for the formation of either the flexible or close synaptic states. This model explains in biochemical terms the evolutionarily central synaptic role of Ku, X4L4, and XLF in NHEJ for all eukaryotes.

The starter units for branched-chain and straight-chain fatty acid biosynthesis was investigated in vivo in three actinomycetes using stable isotopes. Branched-chain fatty acids, which constitute the majority of the fatty acid pool, were confirmed to be biosynthesized using the amino acid degradation products methylbutyrl-CoA and isobutyrl-CoA as starter units. Straight-chain fatty acids were shown to be constructed using butyrl-CoA as a starter unit. Isomerization of the valine catabolite isobutyryl-CoA was shown to be only a minor source of this butyryl-CoA.

Real time protein signaling in a complex medium may provide a promising way for high-throughput protein analysis, but it is largely unmet due to the challenge of signal transduction and the interferences of nonspecific binding and high background. Our recent work indicates that a fluorescent aptamer can display a protein bindinginduced reduction of fluorescence anisotropy (FA) (Zhang, D.; Lu, M.; Wang, H. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2011, 133, 9188−9191), which is exclusively different from a traditionally simplified concept hinting a molecular size increase-induced FA increase. Inspired by this unexpected observation, we describe a novel FA reduction approach for protein signaling. The feasibility of this approach is demonstrated through the assays of a blood protein human α-thrombin and an oncoprotein human platelet-derived growth factor B-chain (PDGF-BB) using two screened fluorescent aptamers, respectively. By the developed FA reduction method, the spiked human α-thrombin in diluted serum can be detected at the concentration as low as 250 pM. In contrast, in a traditional molecular size-dependent FA assay, the thrombin spiked in diluted serum cannot induce reliable FA change even at a 256-fold higher concentration (64 nM). The results clearly show that the FA reduction approach has a dramatically enhanced specificity against target protein and high sensitivity in complex medium and is applicable to the no-separation based detection of proteins in biological matrixes.

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Fluorescence anisotropy (FA) is a homogeneous, ratiometric, and real-time analytical technology. By selective labeling of a guanine (G)-quadruplex motif with tetramethylrhodamine (TMR), here, it is established that a large reduction in FA response can be specifically associated with the unfolding → folding transition of G-quadruplex structures. On the basis of fluorescence intensity, polarization and lifetime analysis, and molecular docking simulation, the mechanism was found to be that the labeled fluorophore (TMR) can intramolecularly interact with adjacent G bases in an unfolded G-quadruplex motif, which allows for the photoinduced electron transfer (PET) occurring between the fluorophore and G bases, leading to a short fluorescence lifetime. Upon the folding of the motif to form a stable G-quadruplex structure, the intramolecular interactions and the concomitant PET could be eliminated with an increased fluorescence lifetime, leading to a large reduction in the FA response. On the basis of this mechanism, a novel, specific, and sensitive FA approach was developed for the detection of biologically and functionally important G-quadruplex structures. The approach is examined and validated using one normal Gquadruplex motif, five mutants, and six small cations and is potentially applicable to the study of G-quadruplexes at single molecule level, ligand screening, profiling of highly ordered DNA nanostructures, and biosensing.