DNA Methylation in Skeletal Muscle Stem Cell Specification, Proliferation, and Differentiation

Figure 1

Transient DNA methylation and demethylation via specific Dnmt and Tet isoforms, respectively, regulate the expression of myogenic genes during embryonic MuSC specification, proliferation, and differentiation and in adult MuSC following an environmental stimulus to induce stem cell activation and muscle regeneration. Furthermore, the regulation of methylation and demethylation may be dependent on cellular metabolism since availability of the methyl group (CH₃) is derived from S-adenosyl methionine (SAM), which is converted to S-adenosyl homocysteine (SAH), while Tet dependent demethylation relies heavily on the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle intermediate α-ketoglutarate (αKG), which is converted to succinate.