The bio-inactive C-6 isomer, [6R]-5-formyl-tetrahydrofolate (5-HCO-H4F), is not found in Nature. An oral dose of 13.5µmol of [6R]-5-HCO-H4F in humans results in the appearance of the naturally occurring [6S]-5-methyl-tetrahydrofolate and relatively large amounts of other bioactive folates in plasma. The removal of the asymmetry at C-6 could account for these results. Two oxidized cytochrome c [cyt c (Fe3+)] molecules oxidize one 10-formyl-tetrahydrofolate (10-HCO-H4F) with second-order kinetics and a rate constant of 1.3×;104 M-1·s-1. The folate product of this oxidation reaction is 10-formyl-dihydrofolate (10-HCO-H2F), which has no C-6 asymmetric centre and is therefore bioactive. The folate-requiring bacterium, Enterococcus hirae, does not normally biosynthesize cytochromes but does so when given an exogenous source of haem (e.g. haemin). E. hirae grown in haemin-supplemented media for 3 days utilizes both [6R]- and [6S]-5-HCO-H4F in contrast to that grown in control medium, which utilizes only the [6S] isomer. Since known chemical reactions form 10-HCO-H4F from 5-HCO-H4F, the unusually large rate constant for the oxidation of 10-HCO-H4F by cyt c (Fe3+) may account for the unexpected bioactivity of [6R]-5-HCO-H4F in humans and in E. hirae grown in haemin-containing media. We used an unnatural C-6 folate isomer as a tool to reveal the possible in vivo oxidation of 10-HCO-H4F to 10-HCO-H2F; however, nothing precludes this oxidation from occurring in vivo with the natural C-6 isomer.
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February 2001
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Research Article|
February 08 2001
Bioactivity of [6R]-5-formyltetrahydrofolate, an unnatural isomer, in humans and Enterococcus hirae, and cytochrome c oxidation of 10-formyltetrahydrofolate to 10-formyldihydrofolate
Joseph E. BAGGOTT
;
Joseph E. BAGGOTT
1
1Department of Nutrition Sciences, 336 Webb Building, 1675 University Blvd., University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, 35294-3360, U.S.A.
1To whom correspondence should be addressed (e-mail matlocks@uab.edu).
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Constance B. ROBINSON
;
Constance B. ROBINSON
1Department of Nutrition Sciences, 336 Webb Building, 1675 University Blvd., University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, 35294-3360, U.S.A.
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Kelly E. JOHNSTON
Kelly E. JOHNSTON
1Department of Nutrition Sciences, 336 Webb Building, 1675 University Blvd., University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, 35294-3360, U.S.A.
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Biochem J (2001) 354 (1): 115–122.
Article history
Received:
June 14 2000
Revision Received:
October 19 2000
Accepted:
November 23 2000
Citation
Joseph E. BAGGOTT, Constance B. ROBINSON, Kelly E. JOHNSTON; Bioactivity of [6R]-5-formyltetrahydrofolate, an unnatural isomer, in humans and Enterococcus hirae, and cytochrome c oxidation of 10-formyltetrahydrofolate to 10-formyldihydrofolate. Biochem J 15 February 2001; 354 (1): 115–122. doi: https://doi.org/10.1042/bj3540115
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