Methionine metabolism regulates pluripotent stem cell pluripotency and differentiation through zinc mobilization
Erinn Zixuan Sim, Takayuki Enomoto, Nobuaki Shiraki, Nao Furuta, Soshiro Kashio, Taiho Kambe, Tomonori Tsuyama, Akihiro Arakawa, Hiroki Ozawa, Mizuho Yokoyama, Masayuki Miura, Shoen Kume
Abstract
Pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) exhibit a unique feature that requires S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) for the maintenance of their pluripotency. Methionine deprivation in the medium causes a reduction in intracellular SAM, thus rendering PSCs in a state potentiated for differentiation. In this study, we find that methionine deprivation triggers a reduction in intracellular protein-bound Zn content and upregulation of Zn exporter SLC30A1 in PSCs. Culturing PSCs in Zn-deprived medium results in decreased intracellular protein-bound Zn content, reduced cell growth, and potentiated differentiation, which partially mimics methionine deprivation. PSCs cultured under Zn deprivation exhibit an altered methionine metabolism-related metabolite profile. We conclude that methionine deprivation potentiates differentiation partly by lowering cellular Zn content. We establish a protocol to generate functional pancreatic β cells by applying methionine and Zn deprivation. Our results reveal a link between Zn signaling and methionine metabolism in the regulation of cell fate in PSCs.