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Importance of folate-homocysteine homeostasis during early embryonic development

  • Shveta Taparia , Janée Gelineau-van Waes , Thomas H. Rosenquist and Richard H. Finnell
Published/Copyright: December 8, 2007
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Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (CCLM)
From the journal Volume 45 Issue 12

Abstract

Although the beneficial effects of maternal folate supplementation in the periconceptional period have been shown to prevent neural tube defects, congenital heart defects and orofacial clefts, the exact protective mechanism of folates remains unknown. Folates affect DNA synthesis, amino acid metabolism and methylation of genes, proteins and lipids via S-adenosylmethionine-mediated one-carbon transfer reactions. Our laboratory has created several mouse knock out models of folate transport using gene targeting to inactivate folate receptor 1 (Folr1), folate receptor 2 (Folr2) and reduced folate carrier 1 (Slc19a1) genes. Gene ablation of both Folr1 and Slc19a1 leads to lethality, but with maternal folate supplementation, nullizygous embryos for both genes present with neural tube defects (NTDs) and congenital heart defects (CHDs). Folr1 nullizygous mice also exhibit orofacial clefts when the dams are provided with low folate supplementation during pregnancy. Finally, women with NTD-affected pregnancies have been reported to have high autoantibody titers against the folate receptor, potentially inhibiting the transport of folate to the developing embryo. This may be an explanation for some of the folate-responsive NTDs and perhaps other congenital malformations. Herein, we propose how homocysteinylation of the folate receptor may contribute to generation of these autoantibodies against the folate receptor.

Clin Chem Lab Med 2007;45:1717–27.


Corresponding author: Richard H. Finnell, PhD, Institute of Biosciences and Technology, Texas A&M Health Sciences Center, 2121 W. Holcombe Blvd., Houston, TX 77030, USA Phone: +1-713-677-7777, Fax: +1-713-677-7790,

Received: 2007-8-25
Accepted: 2007-10-8
Published Online: 2007-12-08
Published in Print: 2007-12-01

©2007 by Walter de Gruyter Berlin New York

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Homocysteine research: alive and kicking!
  2. Homocysteine-lowering trials for prevention of vascular disease: protocol for a collaborative meta-analysis
  3. Perspective on the efficacy analysis of the Vitamin Intervention for Stroke Prevention trial
  4. Homocysteine-lowering vitamin B treatment decreases cardiovascular events in hemodialysis patients
  5. The role of hyperhomocysteinemia and B-vitamin deficiency in neurological and psychiatric diseases
  6. Management of L-Dopa related hyperhomocysteinemia: catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) inhibitors or B vitamins? Results from a review
  7. Biomarkers of folate and vitamin B12 status in cerebrospinal fluid
  8. The role of hyperhomocysteinemia as well as folate, vitamin B6 and B12 deficiencies in osteoporosis – a systematic review
  9. Homocysteine, brain natriuretic peptide and chronic heart failure: a critical review
  10. Homocysteine, left ventricular dysfunction and coronary artery disease: is there a link?
  11. Hyperhomocysteinemia and high-density lipoprotein metabolism in cardiovascular disease
  12. Hyperhomocysteinemia, DNA methylation and vascular disease
  13. Measuring subclinical atherosclerosis: is homocysteine relevant?
  14. Plasma protein homocysteinylation in uremia
  15. Homocysteine and asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA): biochemically linked but differently related to vascular disease in chronic kidney disease
  16. Hyperhomocysteinemia – association with renal transsulfuration and redox signaling in rats
  17. Metabolic regulatory properties of S-adenosylmethionine and S-adenosylhomocysteine
  18. Defects in homocysteine metabolism: diversity among hyperhomocyst(e)inemias
  19. The molecular basis of homocysteine thiolactone-mediated vascular disease
  20. Importance of folate-homocysteine homeostasis during early embryonic development
  21. Association between homocysteine, vitamin B6 concentrations and inflammation
  22. Quantitative profiling of folate and one-carbon metabolism in large-scale epidemiological studies by mass spectrometry
  23. Holotranscobalamin in laboratory diagnosis of cobalamin deficiency compared to total cobalamin and methylmalonic acid
  24. Haptocorrin in humans
  25. Small ubiquitin-like modifier-1 (SUMO-1) modification of thymidylate synthase and dihydrofolate reductase
  26. Decreased p66Shc promoter methylation in patients with end-stage renal disease
  27. Synergism between AT1 receptor and hyperhomocysteinemia during vascular remodeling
  28. Differential expression of γ-aminobutyric acid receptor A (GABAA) and effects of homocysteine
  29. The effect of B-vitamins on biochemical bone turnover markers and bone mineral density in osteoporotic patients: a 1-year double blind placebo controlled trial
  30. Acknowledgement
  31. Contents, Volume 45, 2007
  32. Author Index
  33. Subject Index
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