H 2N N N 1 8 2 7 N3 6 9 - 4 5 5 COO N CH2 OH (NHCHCH 2CH2CO)nO -
HN10 C= O 6-Methylpterin p-Aminobenzoic acid Glutamate (Mammals cannot synthesise)
FOLIC ACID Folic acid is not itself biochemically active and must first be reduced at the 5-6 and 7-8 double bonds by dihydrofolate reductase (1.5.1.3) to form TETRAHYDROFOLIC ACID ( H4folate). This is the origin of a variety of derivatives which are involved in the transfer of one-carbon (C1) units, other than CO2, and which may be described as the C1-FOLIC ACID POOL They exist at different levels of oxidation equivalent to methyl (-CH3), methylene (-CH2-), formyl (-CH=O), formimino (-CH=NH), and methenyl (-CH=) and their reactions and interrelationships are illustrated below.
The 4-atom system of N-5, C-6, C-9 and N-10, which is circled, is a chelating agent and hence has a high affinity for formaldehyde.
H H 2N N N H H N H N CH2 OH H N R Methionine Formate H
Homocysteine Tetrahydrofolate 3.5.1.10
B12 - Formimino- glutamate N H H H 2.1.1.13 N 2.1.2.5 H2N H H2N N N H H Glutamate N H N H N CH2 N OH H CH2 H OH H N R CH3 H 2N N N 5 R H CHO N -Methyl-- H N N H N 10-Formyl- H4folate HN OH N H CH2 H4folate CH Glycine N R N NH 1.4.4.2 H 3.5.4.9 2.1.2.10 N 5-Formimino- H4folate FADH2 + Serine H 2O NH4 +CO 2 1.7.99.5 4.3.1.4 FAD 2.1.2.1 + NH4 H N H N H Glycine H2N N N H H2N H H H H N + N N CH2 N CH2 OH H OH H CH HN R CH2 HN R 5 10 5 10 N ,N -Methenyl--T N ,N -Methylene-- H4folate H4folate
