Dr. Manuel Serrano and researchers at IRB Barcelona have uncovered a new role for vitamin B12 in cellular reprogramming and tissue regeneration, in addition to its well-known functions in maintaining nerve function, supporting red blood cell production, and facilitating DNA synthesis.
Their findings, published in Nature Metabolism, show that vitamin B12 is crucial for cellular reprogramming, a process that mimics early tissue repair phases.
The team found that mice undergoing cellular reprogramming require large amounts of vitamin B12, and supplementation significantly improves the efficiency of the process. This discovery sheds light on the potential impact of vitamin B12 on regenerative medicine.
Therapeutic potential in ulcerative colitis
The researchers validated their findings in a model of ulcerative colitis, demonstrating that the intestinal cells initiating repair undergo a process similar to cellular reprogramming and also benefit from vitamin B12 supplementation.
Patients with intestinal bowel disease could potentially benefit from vitamin B12 supplementation.
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“Our research uncovers a critical role of vitamin B12 in cellular reprogramming and tissue repair. These findings hold promise for regenerative medicine, with the potential to benefit patients through an improved nutrition,” says Dr. Manuel Serrano.
Understanding the role of vitamin B12 in cellular reprogramming
In this research, the scientists investigated the metabolic needs of cellular reprogramming and identified vitamin B12 as a critical factor for a specific branch of metabolism related to a process called methylation.
Specifically, cells undergoing reprogramming or tissue repair require high levels of methylation, and therefore vitamin B12, for their DNA.
The study revealed that a deficiency in vitamin B12 during these processes led to substantial epigenetic alterations, causing errors in the function of numerous genes.
“Supplementation with vitamin B12 corrected this imbalance, resulting in enhanced gene function fidelity and overall improved reprogramming efficiency,” confirms Dr. Marta Kovatcheva, first author of the study and a postdoctoral researcher in the same laboratory. Dr. Kovatcheva will open a new laboratory in 2024 at the Istituto Fondazione di Oncologia Molecolare ETS (IFOM) in Milan, Italy, which will be focused on the study of partially reprogrammed cells in vivo.
Separate study links vitamin B12 to lower inflammation
Dr. Serrano’s team, along with the University of Barcelona’s Dr. Rosa Lamuela-Raventós and Hospital Clínic of Barcelona’s Dr. Ramon Estruch, have recently released a new study.
Their findings indicate that individuals with elevated levels of vitamin B12 in their blood exhibit reduced levels of inflammatory markers (IL-6 and CRP).
This relationship was also observed in older mice, suggesting that vitamin B12 may possess anti-inflammatory properties by decreasing these markers in the body.
These discoveries offer important insights into the potential health advantages associated with vitamin B12.
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This research project was conducted in collaboration with the groups of Dr. Guido Kroemer at the Institut Gustave Roussy (in France), the laboratory led by Dr. Oscar Yanes at the Universitat Rovira i Virgili (Spain), IRB Barcelona’s Bioinformatics and Biostatistics Core Facility, led by Dr. Camille Stephan-Otto Attolini and the Histopathology Core Facility, led by Dr. Neus prats both at IRB Barcelona and the University of Barcelona.
