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Science 7 August 1998:
Vol. 281. no. 5378, pp. 794 - 795
DOI: 10.1126/science.281.5378.794
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Perspectives

Also see the archival list of Science's Compass: Enhanced Perspectives

DEVELOPMENTAL NEUROSCIENCE:
Enhanced: Choline, a Vital Amine

Jan Krzysztof Blusztajn

New evidence indicates that choline, a small vitamin, is essential for optimal brain development. In his Perspective, Blusztajn summarizes recent work that points to choline's newly recognized importance, which has resulted in its reclassification as an essential nutrient by the Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences.

The author is in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118, USA. E-mail: jbluszta{at}bu.edu

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THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
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V. P. Kovacheva, J. M. Davison, T. J. Mellott, A. E. Rogers, S. Yang, M. J. O'Brien, and J. K. Blusztajn (2009)
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Gestational Choline Supply Regulates Methylation of Histone H3, Expression of Histone Methyltransferases G9a (Kmt1c) and Suv39h1 (Kmt1a), and DNA Methylation of Their Genes in Rat Fetal Liver and Brain.
J. M. Davison, T. J. Mellott, V. P. Kovacheva, and J. K. Blusztajn (2009)
J. Biol. Chem. 284, 1982-1989
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Prenatal choline availability alters the context sensitivity of Pavlovian conditioning in adult rats.
J. A. Lamoureux, W. H. Meck, and C. L. Williams (2008)
Learn. Mem. 15, 866-875
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Thematic Review Series: Glycerolipids. Phosphatidylcholine and choline homeostasis.
Z. Li and D. E. Vance (2008)
J. Lipid Res. 49, 1187-1194
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Choline concentrations in human maternal and cord blood and intelligence at 5 y of age.
C. Signore, P. M. Ueland, J. Troendle, and J. L Mills (2008)
Am. J. Clinical Nutrition 87, 896-902
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Gestational Choline Deficiency Causes Global and Igf2 Gene DNA Hypermethylation by Up-regulation of Dnmt1 Expression.
V. P. Kovacheva, T. J. Mellott, J. M. Davison, N. Wagner, I. Lopez-Coviella, A. C. Schnitzler, and J. K. Blusztajn (2007)
J. Biol. Chem. 282, 31777-31788
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Effect of choline chloride in allergen-induced mouse model of airway inflammation.
A. K. Mehta, S. N. Gaur, N. Arora, and B. P. Singh (2007)
Eur. Respir. J. 30, 662-671
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Prenatal choline availability modulates hippocampal and cerebral cortical gene expression.
T. J. Mellott, M. T. Follettie, V. Diesl, A. A. Hill, I. Lopez-Coviella, and J. K. Blusztajn (2007)
FASEB J 21, 1311-1323
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Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy-Based Metabolite Profiling of Transgenic Tomato Fruit Engineered to Accumulate Spermidine and Spermine Reveals Enhanced Anabolic and Nitrogen-Carbon Interactions.
A. K. Mattoo, A. P. Sobolev, A. Neelam, R. K. Goyal, A. K. Handa, and A. L. Segre (2006)
Plant Physiology 142, 1759-1770
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Genomic organization, promoter activity, and expression of the human choline transporter-like protein 1.
Z. Yuan, A. Tie, M. Tarnopolsky, and M. Bakovic (2006)
Physiol Genomics 26, 76-90
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Subtype-Specific Inhibition of Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors by Choline: A Regulatory Pathway.
M. Alkondon and E. X. Albuquerque (2006)
J. Pharmacol. Exp. Ther. 318, 268-275
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Choline Transport for Phospholipid Synthesis..
V. Michel, Z. Yuan, S. Ramsubir, and M. Bakovic (2006)
Experimental Biology and Medicine 231, 490-504
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Phosphatidylcholine Homeostasis and Liver Failure.
Z. Li, L. B. Agellon, and D. E. Vance (2005)
J. Biol. Chem. 280, 37798-37802
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A Choline-deficient Diet in Mice Inhibits neither the CDP-choline Pathway for Phosphatidylcholine Synthesis in Hepatocytes nor Apolipoprotein B Secretion.
A. Kulinski, D. E. Vance, and J. E. Vance (2004)
J. Biol. Chem. 279, 23916-23924
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Dietary Prenatal Choline Supplementation Alters Postnatal Hippocampal Structure and Function.
Q. Li, S. Guo-Ross, D. V. Lewis, D. Turner, A. M. White, W. A. Wilson, and H. S. Swartzwelder (2004)
J Neurophysiol 91, 1545-1555
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Metabolic Markers of Breast Cancer: Enhanced Choline Metabolism and Reduced Choline-Ether-Phospholipid Synthesis.
R. Katz-Brull, D. Seger, D. Rivenson-Segal, E. Rushkin, and H. Degani (2002)
Cancer Res. 62, 1966-1970
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Enhanced synthesis of choline and glycine betaine in transgenic tobacco plants that overexpress phosphoethanolamine N-methyltransferase.
S. D. McNeil, M. L. Nuccio, M. J. Ziemak, and A. D. Hanson (2001)
PNAS
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The Changing Face of Functional Foods.
C. M. Hasler (2000)
J. Am. Coll. Nutr. 19, 499S-506
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Opposing Regulation of Choline Deficiency-induced Apoptosis by p53 and Nuclear Factor kappa B.
M. Q. Holmes-McNary, A. S. Baldwin Jr., and S. H. Zeisel (2001)
J. Biol. Chem. 276, 41197-41204
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Enhanced synthesis of choline and glycine betaine in transgenic tobacco plants that overexpress phosphoethanolamine N-methyltransferase.
S. D. McNeil, M. L. Nuccio, M. J. Ziemak, and A. D. Hanson (2001)
PNAS 98, 10001-10005
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Protective Effects of Prenatal Choline Supplementation on Seizure-Induced Memory Impairment.
Y. Yang, Z. Liu, J. M. Cermak, P. Tandon, M. R. Sarkisian, C. E. Stafstrom, J. C. Neill, J. K. Blusztajn, and G. L. Holmes (2000)
J. Neurosci. 20, RC109
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Prenatal Choline Supplementation Protects against Postnatal Neurotoxicity.
S. X. Guo-Ross, S. Clark, D. A. C. Montoya, K. H. Jones, J. Obernier, A. K. Shetty, A. M. White, J. K. Blusztajn, W. A. Wilson, and H. S. Swartzwelder (2002)
J. Neurosci. 22, RC195
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