Structure and function of the reduced folate carrier a paradigm of a major facilitator superfamily mammalian nutrient transporter.

ABSTRACT: Folates are essential for life and folate deficiency contributes to a host of health problems including cardiovascular disease, fetal abnormalities, neurological disorders, and cancer. Antifolates, represented by methotrexate, continue to occupy a unique niche among the modern day pharmacopoeia for cancer along with other pathological conditions. This article focuses on the biology of the membrane transport system termed the "reduced folate carrier" or RFC with a particular emphasis on RFC structure and function. The ubiquitously expressed RFC is the major transporter for folates in mammalian cells and tissues. Loss of RFC expression or function portends potentially profound physiological or developmental consequences. For chemotherapeutic antifolates used for cancer, loss of RFC expressio

SUBMITTER: Matherly LH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3806226 | biostudies-literature | 2008

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature