Ascorbic acid upregulates myelin gene expression in C6 glioma cells

Exploring the Pivotal Neurophysiologic and Therapeutic Potentials of Vitamin C in Glioma

Gliomas represent solely primary brain cancers of glial cell or neuroepithelial origin. Gliomas are still the most lethal human cancers despite modern innovations in both diagnostic techniques as well as therapeutic regimes. Gliomas have the lowest overall survival rate compared to other cancers 5 years after definitive diagnosis. The dietary intake of vitamin C has protective effect on glioma risk. Vitamin C is an essential compound that plays a vital role in the regulation of lysyl and prolyl hydroxylase activity. Neurons store high levels of vitamin C via sodium dependent-vitamin C transporters (SVCTs) to protect them from oxidative ischemia-reperfusion injury. Vitamin C is a water-soluble enzyme, typically seen as a powerful antioxidant in plants as well as animals. The key function of vitamin C is the inhibition of redox imbalance from reactive oxygen species produced via the stimulation of glutamate receptors. Gliomas absorb vitamin C primarily via its oxidized dehydroascorbate form by means of GLUT 1, 3, and 4 and its reduced form, ascorbate, by SVCT2. Vitamin C is able to preserve prosthetic metal ions like Fe2+ and Cu+ in their reduced forms in several enzymatic reactions as well as scavenge free radicals in order to safeguard tissues from oxidative damage. Therapeutic concentrations of vitamin C are able to trigger H2O2 generation in glioma. High-dose combination of vitamin C and radiation has a much more profound cytotoxic effect on primary glioblastoma multiforme cells compared to normal astrocytes. Control trials are needed to validate the use of vitamin C and standardization of the doses of vitamin C in the treatment of patients with glioma.

High-Dose Intravenous Vitamin C Treatment of a Child with Neurofibromatosis Type 1 and Optic Pathway Glioma: A Case Report

Patient: Male, 1

Final Diagnosis: Optic glioma

Symptoms: Visual problems

Medication: —

Clinical Procedure: Intravenous vitamin C

Specialty: Oncology

Structural characterization of myelin-associated glycoprotein gene core promoter

Myelin-associated glycoprotein (MAG) is emerging as an important molecule involved in the plasticity and regeneration of the central nervous system. In this study, the structure of MAG gene promoter was characterized in cultured rat oligodendrocyte lineage cells. Heterogeneous transcription initiation with five major and eight minor start sites scattered within 72 bp was shown by primer extension analysis. This TATA-less core promoter contains no prominent initiator (Inr) elements associated with the transcription initiation sites, and hence, appears to utilize novel positioning mechanisms. Genomic footprinting analysis revealed several putative protein-binding regions overlapping the initiation sites and containing a multitude of CG-rich sequences. However, no conspicuous alterations in the protein-binding pattern were evident between O2A progenitors in which the gene is inactive, and mature oligodendrocytes with fully upregulated gene. The core promoter DNA features a differentiation-dependent demethylation as shown by genomic sequencing analysis. Three of eight cytosines are totally demethylated in oligodendrocyte chromosomes, indicating that these unmodified bases may be critical for full activation of the promoter. The core promoter is located within an internucleosomal linker, and the upstream regulatory region appears to be organized into an array of nucleosomes with hypersensitive linkers.

Transcriptional regulation of myelin associated glycoprotein gene expression by cyclic AMP

The treatment of rat glioma C6 cells with 10 microM isoproterenol (Ipt) for 4 days upregulated the expression of the myelin-associated glycoprotein (MAG) gene by approximately 55-fold over the control value. The constant presence of Ipt in the medium was required for the maximal upregulation, as time-restricted exposures to the drug produced only partial, or no upregulation of the gene. No difference in the MAG mRNA stability could be detected in Ipt-treated vs untreated cells indicating that the drug upregulates the MAG gene at transcriptional level. Serum (FCS) strongly attenuated the response of the MAG gene to Ipt. The stimulatory effect of Ipt was profoundly reduced by spermine and H-89, indicating that protein kinase A-dependent protein phosphorylation is involved in the MAG gene activation. Within 30 min after Ipt administration, the c-fos gene was upregulated by 10-fold, and thereafter, its message level decreased and stabilized at approximately 3-fold over control. In contrast, the c-jun gene was downregulated to approximately 20% of control within 30 min after Ipt administration. Subsequently, its message level rose and fell once again within 12 h to approximately half of control, and returned to control level within 72 h.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Glucocorticoid-induced upregulation of proteolipid protein and myelin-associated glycoprotein genes in C6 cells

The effect of dexamethasone on the expression of proteolipid protein (PLP) and myelin-associated glycoprotein (MAG) genes was investigated in rat C6 glioma cells. The steady state level of the respective mRNAs was quantitated by Northern blot analysis. The treatment of cells with dexamethasone transiently upregulated the expression of both genes with peak mRNA levels of approximately 10-fold over control levels occurring at day 3 for the PLP gene and at day 5 for the MAG gene. The effect was directly related to the drug concentration in the range from 10(-9) to 10(-5) M. Combined exposure of the cells to dexamethasone and retinoic acid featured an additive effect on PLP gene expression, whereas MAG gene expression was depressed below detectability level. The dissimilarity in the response of the genes to dexamethasone and retinoic acid supports the contention that the genes are controlled by different mechanisms. Furthermore, the results indicate that the effects of dexamethasone and retinoic acid on the myelin genes are mediated by different regulatory pathways.

Differential upregulation of PLP and MAG genes in C6 glioma cells by N2A neuroblastoma conditioned medium

The effect of factors released from N2A neuroblastoma cells on the expression of myelin protein genes in glioma C6 cells, i.e., proteolipid protein (PLP) and myelin-associated glycoprotein (MAG), was studied. Both cells lines were propagated in serum-free DMEM-F10 (1:1) medium. The addition of 50% N2A conditioned medium (N2ACM) stimulated the proliferation of C6 cells by approximately 4.5 fold as compared to control cells. The N2ACM-treated cells formed aggregates indicating increased cell-cell affinity. The exposure of C6 cells to N2ACM transiently stimulated the expression of both the MAG-specific and the PLP-specific messages up to eight and four fold over the control values, respectively. The maximal upregulation of the PLP gene occurred two days after N2ACM administration and preceded that of the MAG gene by two days. The effect of N2ACM was dose-dependent in the range of 12.5 to 50%. The secretion of N2A paracrine factors that stimulated the myelin gene expression was also time-dependent. The optimal conditioning time for the release of the PLP gene-stimulating activity was one day, while the maximal MAG gene-stimulating activity was found in the medium conditioned for 3 days. This cellular system may provide a convenient model for studies on trophic neuronal-glial interaction. Furthermore, the results indicate a difference in the regulatory mechanisms between the PLP and the MAG genes.