Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts: Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound   Target Concepts: Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound

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Query: EC:1.5.7.1 (methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase)
2,116 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Many epidemiologic, animal and human studies suggest that folate status modulates carcinogenesis. Although these observations have been made in a number of tissues, the data are clearly most compelling for the colorectum. The mechanism(s) by which this modulation is mediated remains ill defined. Alterations in either genome-wide or gene-specific DNA methylation and/or alterations in DNA stability, resulting from DNA strand breaks or uracil misincorporation, are leading candidates in this regard. Folate has a central role in biological methylation and nucleotide synthesis, and therefore it is not surprising that folate depletion has been observed to alter DNA methylation and diminish DNA stability. The hypothesis that these two pathways are the means by which folate modulates cancer risk is also supported by the epidemiological observation that a common polymorphism in the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR; EC 1.5.1.20) gene differentially affects the relative risk of colon cancer depending on folate status, because MTHFR catalyzes the reaction that determines whether cellular folate is diverted into biological methylation or nucleotide synthesis. This phenomenon suggests that it is an imbalance between biological methylation and nucleotide synthesis that is responsible for folate-related carcinogenesis. The control of cell proliferation, which also is related to DNA methylation, is another candidate mechanism by which folate status modulates carcinogenesis. In cell culture studies, folate supplementation has been observed to suppress excessive cell proliferation. Understanding the mechanisms by which folate status modulates carcinogenesis is important for advancing insight into cancer biology and for facilitating those efforts to translate research in folate and carcinogenesis into effective and safe public health initiatives.
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PMID:Folate status: effects on pathways of colorectal carcinogenesis. 1216 3

Susceptibility to colorectal cancer, one of the most common forms of cancer in the Western world, has been associated with several environmental and dietary risk factors. Dietary exposure to food derived heterocyclic amine carcinogens and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons have been proposed as specific risk factors. Many polymorphic Phase I and Phase II drug metabolizing enzymes are responsible for the metabolism and disposition of these compounds and it is therefore possible that inheritance of specific allelic variants of these enzymes may influence colorectal cancer susceptibility. In a multicenter case-control study, 490 colorectal cancer patients and 593 controls (433 matched case-control pairs) were genotyped for common polymorphisms in the cytochrome P450 (CYP1A1, CYP1A2, CYP1B1, CYP2A6, CYP2C9, CYP2C19 and CYP2D6), glutathione S-transferase (GSTM1, GSTP1 and GSTT1), sulfotransferase (SULT1A1 and SULT1A2), N-acetyl transferase 2 (NAT2), NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase (NQO1), methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR), and microsomal epoxide hydrolase (EPHX1) genes. Matched case-control analysis identified alleles associated with higher colorectal cancer risk as carriage of CYP1A1*2C (OR = 2.15, 95% CI 1.36-3.39) and homozygosity for GSTM1*2/*2 (OR = 1.53, 95% CI 1.16-2.02). In contrast, inheritance of the CYP2A6*2 (OR = 0.51, 95% CI 0.28-1.06), CYP2C19*2 (OR = 0.72, 95% CI 0.52-0.98) and the EPHX1(His113) alleles were associated with reduced cancer risk. We found no association with colorectal cancer risk with NAT2 genotype or any of the other polymorphic genes associated with the metabolism and disposition of heterocyclic amine carcinogens. This data suggests that heterocyclic amines do not play an important role in the aetiology of colorectal cancer but that exposure to other carcinogens such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons may be important determinants of cancer risk.
Carcinogenesis 2002 Nov
PMID:A pharmacogenetic study to investigate the role of dietary carcinogens in the etiology of colorectal cancer. 1241 32

Folate metabolism is thought to play an important role in carcinogenesis through its involvement in both DNA methylation and nucleotide synthesis. A common Ala(222)/Val variant in the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene leads to a disturbed folate metabolism and is associated with decreased genomic DNA methylation. We previously reported that the MTHFR Val/Val genotype was associated with increased cancer mortality in men from a population-based cohort of subjects ages > or = 85 years. To further explore the deleterious effects of the MTHFR genotype, we studied the association of the genotype with cancer risk in 860 men ages 65-84 years who were followed >10 years (Zutphen Elderly Study). During follow-up, 149 new cases of cancer occurred among the 793 men without cancer at baseline. The risk of developing cancer was 1.80-fold (95% confidence interval, 1.09-3.00) higher among men with the Val/Val genotype than among men with the Ala/Ala genotype. Except for lung cancer [relative risk (RR), 1.15], the risks of common forms of cancers were significantly increased among men with the Val/Val genotype [cancer of the prostate (RR, 3.48); the colorectum (RR, 3.65); the kidney and bladder (RR, 5.48)]. The risks of cancer were particularly increased among men with a lower folate and a higher alcohol intake and men of an older age. In conclusion, our current and previous studies in two independent populations indicate that a common Ala/Val variant in the MTHFR gene is a risk factor for cancer in elderly men from the general population. The mechanism underlying this association might involve genomic instability as a result of insufficient methylation of genomic DNA.
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PMID:A common variant of the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase gene (1p36) is associated with an increased risk of cancer. 1264 84

Gene-environment interactions play an important role in folate metabolism, with a potential impact on human health. Deficiencies in the uptake of key micronutrients and variant genotypes can affect the folic acid cycle, modulating methyl group transfer in key processes and leading to increased cancer risk and Down syndrome incidence. So far, the significance of folate status and metabolic genotypes on baseline levels of DNA damage in normal individuals has not been fully elucidated. In this study, the possible modulation of SCE, micronuclei and tail moment values in peripheral lymphocytes by plasma levels of folic acid, homocysteine and vitamin B12, and by the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) C677T and methionine synthase reductase (MTRR) A66G polymorphisms was investigated in 191 healthy subjects. The results obtained show a highly significant (P = 0.001) positive association between plasma levels of vitamin B12 and frequencies of both SCE and high frequency cells (HFC, above 90 degrees percentile) in smokers. No significant effect was observed in non-smokers. Moreover, after correction for age, gender and GSTM1 genotype, a significant association (P = 0.026) between the MTRR 66GG variant genotype and higher micronucleus rates was observed. Tail moment values were not affected by any of the independent variables considered. Overall, the results obtained suggest that both folate status and relevant metabolic genotype can influence background levels of DNA damage in normal subjects. The significant association observed in smokers between plasma vitamin B12 and SCE frequencies may highlight the effect of methylation status on DNA damage and repair, although the role of other, unidentified dietary factors cannot be ruled out. At the same time, micronucleus data indicate that the MTRR 66GG variant may represent another individual trait of relative genomic instability, thus supporting epidemiological data on increased risk of Down syndrome conception in MTRR 66GG subjects.
Carcinogenesis 2003 Jun
PMID:Folate status, metabolic genotype, and biomarkers of genotoxicity in healthy subjects. 1280 60

Thymidylate synthase (TS), a key one-carbon metabolizing gene, encodes an enzyme that converts dUMP to dTMP, the rate-limiting nucleotide in DNA synthesis. We recently reported that a promoter polymorphism in TS modified the risk of colorectal cancer as well as the survival rate after the disease. To explore whether TS may play an important role in colorectal carcinogenesis early in the multistaged pathogenic pathway, we investigated the relation between the TS promoter polymorphism and risk of colorectal adenoma in a nested case-control study within the prospective Health Professionals Follow-up Study. We ascertained the TS genotype from 373 incident colorectal adenoma cases and 720 control subjects. Although there was no overall association between the TS promoter polymorphism and adenoma risk, we observed a significant TS-alcohol interaction (P for interaction = 0.009); relative to low alcohol consumers with the 2R/2R genotype, those with high alcohol consumption (>30 g/d) were not at elevated risk if they had the 2R/2R genotype [relative risk (RR), 0.80; 95% confidence interval (95% CI), 0.34-1.90], but were at higher risk if they had the 2R/3R genotype (RR, 1.70; 95% CI, 0.87-3.31), and at the highest risk (RR, 3.16; 95% CI, 1.50-6.63) if they had the 3R/3R genotype. In addition, a significant interaction was observed between the TS promoter polymorphism and the 677C > T polymorphism of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR; P for interaction = 0.007). These findings lend additional support that one-carbon metabolism is an important process in pathogenesis of colorectal cancer.
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PMID:Polymorphism in the thymidylate synthase promoter enhancer region and risk of colorectal adenomas. 1559 87

Folate metabolism dysregulation may lead to abnormal cell proliferation and predispose to carcinogenesis by inducing DNA hypomethylation. Folate pathways may be modified by polymorphisms in relevant genes, such as that for methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR), or by alcohol consumption. We investigated the relationship between MTHFR mutations at nucleotides C677T and A1298C, which cause reduced MTHFR enzyme activity, and susceptibility to oropharyngolaryngeal carcinoma in 65 patients and 100 controls. We isolated DNA from peripheral blood leukocytes. In oropharyngolaryngeal carcinoma cases the C677T heterozygous genotype was more frequent (p = 0.018), the allele frequency of MTHFR 677T was greater (p = 0.019) and the genotype 677TT/1298AA was more frequent (p = 0.001). A higher risk of carcinoma was found in the case of moderate drinkers with mutant MTHFR homozygosis or double heterozygosis (OR = 21.2 and OR = 9.1, respectively; p trend = 0.002), and the association was maintained for the different cancer sites (glottic, supraglottic, oropharyngeal). Our findings support the hypothesis that the interaction of alcohol intake and MTHFR polymorphisms might contribute to susceptibility to carcinogenesis of the oropharyngolaryngeal tract.
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PMID:Association between methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase polymorphisms, alcohol intake and oropharyngolaryngeal carcinoma in northern Italy. 1594 1

One-carbon metabolism, in which folate plays an essential role, is involved in DNA methylation and synthesis, and is suspected of impacting on colorectal carcinogenesis. Alcohol is well recognized as a risk factor for colorectal cancer (CRC) and interactions with one-carbon metabolism have also been suggested. Therefore, functional polymorphisms in genes encoding members of this pathway, MTHFR C677T and A1298C (genes for methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase), MTR A2756G (gene for methionine synthase) and TS (gene for thymidylate synthase) tandem repeats polymorphisms, have attracted attention. We conducted a matched case-control study with 257 incident CRC cases and 771 non-cancer controls at the Aichi Cancer Center to clarify associations among folate intake and four polymorphisms with reference to CRC risk. Gene-environment interaction between polymorphisms, drinking and folate consumption was also evaluated. None of the polymorphisms showed any significant impact on CRC risk by genotype alone, but when combined with alcohol consumption the MTHFR 677CC type showed a significantly reduced risk (odds ratio (OR) = 0.45, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.23-0.86) (P = 0.01). MTR GG showed increased risk only among drinkers (OR = 3.35, 1.40-8.05) (P = 0.047). TS polymorphism did not show statistical significance by genotype alone, while interaction with drinking was significant (P = 0.028). The association was not changed even after stratification by daily folate consumption and drinking habit. In conclusion, we found consistently significant interactions between one-carbon metabolism-related polymorphisms and alcohol drinking.
Carcinogenesis 2005 Dec
PMID:One-carbon metabolism related gene polymorphisms interact with alcohol drinking to influence the risk of colorectal cancer in Japan. 1605 37

Genetic polymorphism analysis for disease risk is widely used in epidemiology studies; blood or oral cavity cells are the most widely used source of DNA. However, these types of samples are not always available, particularly for studies that were conducted years ago. An alternative potential source of patient DNA exists in the form of paraffin-embedded normal tissue adjacent to tumor samples, which are collected and stored routinely for clinical use. The use of such samples can be conceptually problematic, however, due to the presence of field cancerization in the surrounding normal tissue, with the possible presence of chromosomal loss. Specifically, loss of heterozygosity (LOH) might bias the genotyping results and cause genotype misclassification. However, field cancerization and LOH might not be an issue because LOH is not easily found unless there is careful microdissection of only tumor cells (leaving stromal, inflammatory and fat cells), for example, laser-capture microdissection. In this study, we set out to determine the degree of genotype misclassification from normal tissues adjacent to tumors, if any, by comparing these results with blood genotyping. We examined samples from 106 subjects with breast cancer, analyzing five different genotypes selected from regions commonly known to have LOH in breast cancer. These genotypes were methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR), oxoguanosine glycosylase 1 (hOGG1), dopamine beta-hydroxylase (DBH), dopamine receptor D2 (DRD2) and NAD(P)H dehydrogenase quinone 1 (NQO1), conducted by using real-time PCR and TaqMan genotyping analyses. We found that among these five genotypes and 106 comparisons, there was a 100% concordance for genotyping from normal tissue adjacent to tumor and from blood. Our findings indicate that the use of adjacent normal tissues provides accurate genotyping results with high specificity. Although this study only used breast tumor samples, and may be applicable only to breast cancer studies, we expect the results to be applicable to other types of cancers also.
Carcinogenesis 2006 Feb
PMID:Accurate genotyping from paraffin-embedded normal tissue adjacent to breast cancer. 1611 52

Folate and vitamin D have been shown to be influenced by ultraviolet (UV) radiation. UVA radiation can break down plasma folate, whereas vitamin D can be synthesized in UVB-exposed skin. Folate metabolism is involved in DNA synthesis and repair, and vitamin D processes anti-proliferative effects. The functions of both nutrients are implicated in skin carcinogenesis. We evaluated genetic polymorphisms in the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene (C677T and A1298C) and the vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene (Fok1, Bsm1 and Cdx2) with skin cancer risk in a nested case-control study within the Nurses' Health Study [219 melanoma, 286 squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), 300 basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and 873 controls]. No significant associations were observed for the two MTHFR polymorphisms on skin cancer risk. We observed an interaction between the C677T polymorphism and total folate intake on SCC risk (P, interaction=0.04); the highest risk was observed among women with TT genotype and low folate intake (OR=2.14; 95% CI=1.01-4.50). The VDR Bsm1 BB genotype was significantly associated with an increased SCC risk (OR=1.51; 95% CI=1.00-2.28). An interaction between the Bsm1 polymorphism and total vitamin D intake on SCC was observed, with the highest risk seen in women with the BB genotype and high vitamin D intake (OR=2.38; 95% CI=1.22-4.62) (P, interaction=0.08). This study suggests a possible role of the polymorphisms in MTHFR and VDR interacting with dietary intakes of folate and vitamin D in skin cancer development, especially for SCC. Due to a large number of comparisons and tests, the possible associations should be interpreted with caution and confirmed by other studies.
Carcinogenesis 2007 Feb
PMID:Polymorphisms in the MTHFR and VDR genes and skin cancer risk. 1695 Aug

The Ala(222)Val single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the gene for 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR), a critical enzyme in one-carbon metabolism, has been associated with colorectal cancer risk. Many enzymes are involved in one-carbon metabolism, and SNPs in the corresponding genes may play a role in colorectal carcinogenesis. We examined 24 nonsynonymous SNPs in 13 genes involved in the one-carbon metabolism pathway in relation to the risk of colorectal cancer in a case-control study nested in the Nurses' Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study cohorts. Among 376 men and women with colorectal cancer and 849 controls, a reduced risk of colorectal cancer was observed for Val/Val versus Ala carriers of MTHFR Ala(222)Val [odds ratio (OR), 0.66; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.43-1.00]. An increased risk was suggested for the variant carrier genotypes versus homozygous wild-type for betaine hydroxymethyltransferase Arg(239)Gln (OR, 1.40; 95% CI, 1.07-1.83) and two linked SNPs in methionine synthase reductase, Ser(284)Thr (OR, 1.85; 95% CI, 1.05-3.27) and Arg(415)Cys (OR, 2.03; 95% CI, 1.15-3.56). The other SNPs were not associated with colorectal cancer risk. Also, none of the SNPs were associated with risk in subgroups of dietary methyl status or were jointly associated with colorectal cancer risk in combination with another SNP, except possibly SNPs in methionine synthase and transcobalamin II. However, these analyses of gene-diet interactions were limited in statistical power. Our results corroborate previous findings for MTHFR Ala(222)Val and suggest that other genes involved in one-carbon metabolism, particularly those that affect DNA methylation, may be associated with colorectal cancer risk.
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PMID:Nonsynonymous polymorphisms in genes in the one-carbon metabolism pathway and associations with colorectal cancer. 1716 63


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