Surf Wiki
Save to docs
general/folates

From Surf Wiki (app.surf) — the open knowledge base

5,10-Methylenetetrahydrofolate

MTHF

5,10-Methylenetetrahydrofolate (N5,N10-Methylenetetrahydrofolate; 5,10-CH2-THF) is cofactor in several biochemical reactions. It exists in nature as the diastereoisomer [6R]-5,10-methylene-THF.

As an intermediate in one-carbon metabolism, 5,10-CH2-THF converts to 5-methyltetrahydrofolate, 5-formyltetrahydrofolate, and methenyltetrahydrofolate. It is substrate for the enzyme methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR), which gives 5-methyltetrahydrofolate. It is mainly produced by the reaction of tetrahydrofolate with serine, catalyzed by the enzyme serine hydroxymethyltransferase.

Selected functions

Formaldehyde equivalent

Methylenetetrahydrofolate is a source of the equivalent of formaldehyde or CH22+ in biosyntheses.

Methylenetetrahydrofolate is also an intermediate in the detoxification of formaldehyde.

Pyrimidine biosynthesis

It is the one-carbon donor for thymidylate synthase, for methylation of 2-deoxy-uridine-5-monophosphate (dUMP) to 2-deoxy-thymidine-5-monophosphate (dTMP). The coenzyme is necessary for the biosynthesis of thymidine and is the C1-donor in the reactions catalyzed by TS and thymidylate synthase (FAD).

Biomodulator

[6R]-5,10-methylene-THF is a biomodulator that has proven to enhance the desired cytotoxic antitumor effect of Fluorouracil (5-FU) and can bypass the metabolic pathway required by other folates (such as leucovorin) to achieve necessary activation. The active metabolite is being evaluated in clinical trials for patients with colorectal cancer in combination with 5-FU.

References

References

  1. "Entrez Gene: MTHFR methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (NAD(P)H)".
  2. (2000). "Molecular biology of 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase.". J Nephrol.
  3. (2003). "Formaldehyde-detoxifying role of the tetrahydromethanopterin-linked pathway in ''Methylobacterium extorquens'' AM1". J. Bacteriol..
  4. (2016-10-01). "Folates as adjuvants to anticancer agents: Chemical rationale and mechanism of action". Critical Reviews in Oncology/Hematology.
Info: Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

folates coenzymes
Want to explore this topic further?

Ask Mako anything about 5,10-Methylenetetrahydrofolate — get instant answers, deeper analysis, and related topics.

Research with Mako

Free with your Surf account

Content sourced from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This content may have been generated or modified by AI. CloudSurf Software LLC is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of AI-generated content. Always verify important information from primary sources.

Report