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Some metabolic relationships between biopterin and folate: Implications for the “methyl trap hypothesis”

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Abstract

Tetrahydrobiopterin and the folate coenzymes can reciprocally interact in ways that would be useful to the metabolic pathways subserved by both of these coenzymes. Thus, through one of the reactions catalyzed by methylene tetrahydrofolate reductase, 5-CH3-H4-folate can regenerate BH4 from q-BH2 and q-BH2 can provide an escape from the “methyl trap.”

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Neurochemistry, National Institute of Mental Health, 9000 Rockville Pike, Building 36, Room 3D30, 20892, Bethesda, Maryland

    Seymour Kaufman

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Special issue dedicated to Dr. Louis Sokoloff

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Kaufman, S. Some metabolic relationships between biopterin and folate: Implications for the “methyl trap hypothesis”. Neurochem Res 16, 1031–1036 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00965847

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