Vitamins and Minerals | Vitamin C Biosynthesis & the GULO Pseudogene

[@Billy4321able]

I wonder if future breakthroughs in gene editing will allow us to restore the functionality of the pseudogene.

[@ABDULREHMAN-by7zk]

Thank you

[@CatalystUniversity]

No problem!

[@E-BikingAdventures]

Where does the synthesis of vitamine C take place(in most animals)? In the stomach, liver, blood...?

[@E-BikingAdventures]

Wow. Someone who actually knows humans are primates. That's rare.

[@ronaldbrown3243]

This might sound stupid, but can't humans just take the enzyme L-gulono 1,4-lactone oxidase overtime to trigger the creation of vitamin c? Seems like it will solve some problems. That's what happened with us and our ability to metabolize milk right?

[@CatalystUniversity]

Good question! The problem would be digestion of the enzyme in the stomach rendering it inactive. With an injection, you bypass the stomach, but immune defenses might attack the protein (antibodies, complement, etc.), because it would be perceived as foreign. Also, the enzyme is part of a pathway and would have to be uptaken into the cell performing all the other transformations. With lactase, this enzyme might be able to digest some lactose before getting to the stomach into glucose and galactose. Once in the stomach, all bets are off for the same reason as above.

[@ronaldbrown3243]

@@CatalystUniversity Thanks for the explanation! Its awesome people like you that spread knowledge to other people that will help make a difference! Keep up the great work!