抄録
Vitamin B_<12> (B_<12>) is a coenzyme of methionine synthase (MS) and methylmalonyl-CoA mutase. It is especially important for MS functions in the methylation cycle that requires a supply from methyl donor S-adenosylmethionine (SAM). In order to identify a novel B_<12>-dependent gene expression pathway via DNA methylation, we looked for genes that were regulated by B_<12>. B_<12> deficient rats were used in this study. We searched for genes that were up- or down-regulated during B_<12> deficiency, and found that the Otx2 gene was influenced by B_<12> status in brain. We then analyzed the DNA methylation status of the promoter region of the Otx2 gene and identified a hypermethylated area in B_<12> deficiency. This study suggests that B_<12> status may have an impact on specific gene expression through DNA methylation.
