Mitochondrial translation requires folate-dependent tRNA methylation.

ABSTRACT: Folates enable the activation and transfer of one-carbon units for the biosynthesis of purines, thymidine and methionine. Antifolates are important immunosuppressive and anticancer agents. In proliferating lymphocytes and human cancers, mitochondrial folate enzymes are particularly strongly upregulated. This in part reflects the need for mitochondria to generate one-carbon units and export them to the cytosol for anabolic metabolism. The full range of uses of folate-bound one-carbon units in the mitochondrial compartment itself, however, has not been thoroughly explored. Here we show that loss of the catalytic activity of the mitochondrial folate enzyme serine hydroxymethyltransferase 2 (SHMT2), but not of other folate enzymes, leads to defective oxidative phosphorylation in human cells du

SUBMITTER: Morscher RJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6020024 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature