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...

Summary In mammals, cytosine methylation (5mC) is widely distributed throughout the genome, but is notably depleted from active promoters and enhancers. While the role of DNA methylation in promoter silencing has been well documented, the function of this epigenetic mark at enhancers remains unclear. Recent experiments have demonstrated that enhancers are enriched for 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC), an oxidization product of the Tet family of 5mC dioxygenases and an intermediate of DNA demethylation. These results support the involvement of Tet proteins in regulation of dynamic DNA methylation at enhancers. By mapping DNA methylation and hydroxymethylation at base resolution, we find that deletion of Tet2 causes extensive loss of 5hmC at enhancers, accompanied by enhancer hypermethylation, reduction of enhancer activity, and delayed gene induction in the early steps of differentiation. Our results reveal that DNA demethylation modulates enhancer activity, and its disruption influences the timing of transcriptome reprogramming during cellular differentiation.

Tet-mediated DNA oxidation is a recently identified mammalian epigenetic modification, and its functional role in cell-fate transitions remains poorly understood. Here, we derive mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) deleted in all three Tet genes and examine their capacity for reprogramming into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). We show that Tet-deficient MEFs cannot be reprogrammed because of a block in the mesenchymal-to-epithelial transition (MET) step. Reprogramming of MEFs deficient in TDG is similarly impaired. The block in reprogramming is caused at least in part by defective activation of key miRNAs, which depends on oxidative demethylation promoted by Tet and TDG. Reintroduction of either the affected miRNAs or catalytically active Tet and TDG restores reprogramming in the knockout MEFs. Thus, oxidative demethylation to promote gene activation appears to be functionally required for reprogramming of fibroblasts to pluripotency. These findings provide mechanistic insight into the role of epigenetic barriers in cell-lineage conversion.

Ten-eleven translocation (Tet) family proteins convert 5-methylcytosine to 5-hydroxymethylcytosine. We show that mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs) depleted of Tet1 and/or Tet2 by RNAi exhibit short telomeres and chromosomal instability, concomitant with reduced telomere recombination. Tet1 and Tet2 double-knockout ESCs also display short telomeres but to a lesser extent. Notably, Tet1/2/3 triple-knockout ESCs show heterogeneous telomere lengths and increased frequency of telomere loss and chromosomal fusion. Mechanistically, Tets depletion or deficiency increases Dnmt3b and decreases 5hmC levels, resulting in elevated methylation levels at sub-telomeres. Consistently, knockdown of Dnmt3b or addition of 2i (MAPK and GSK3β inhibitors), which also inhibits Dnmt3b, reduces telomere shortening, partially rescuing Tet1/2 deficiency. Interestingly, Tet1/2 double or Tet1/2/3 triple knockout in ESCs consistently upregulates Zscan4, which may counteract telomere shortening. Together, Tet enzymes play important roles in telomere maintenance and chromosomal stability of ESCs by modulating sub-telomeric methylation levels.