Loss of vitamin C biosynthesis protects from a parasitic infection.

ABSTRACT: The ability to synthesize essential molecules is sometimes lost in evolution. A classic example is ascorbate (Vitamin C), which is synthesized in most animals by L-Gulonolactone Oxidase (GULO), an enzyme lost multiple independent times in animal evolution. This event is thought to be evolutionarily neutral, however, GULO-deficient animals including humans need to obtain ascorbate from their diet and are susceptible to ascorbate deficiency and scurvy. We therefore hypothesized that this disadvantage of GULO loss is offset by physiological benefits. Here we show that ascorbate deficiency protects mice from schistosomiasis, a debilitating parasitic disease which afflicts 250 million people. Schistosoma mansoni worms required host ascorbate to produce eggs in vivo. Consequ

SUBMITTER: Chen G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12330480 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature