Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
4
pubmed:dateCreated
1998-5-21
pubmed:abstractText
Defects of neural tube closure are among the most common of all human malformations. Epidemiological and genetic studies indicate that most of these defects are multifactorial in origin with genetic and environmental causes. Although periconceptional supplementation of the maternal diet with folic acid has been shown to reduce the recurrence and occurrence of neural tube defects (NTDs) by up to 70%, the underlying mechanism remains unknown. Folic acid enters cells of certain tissues via a receptor-mediated process known as potocytosis. The folate receptor alpha (FR-alpha) gene codes for the protein responsible for binding folate, which is the first, and only, folate-dependent step in folate transport. The FR-alpha exons, which code for mature protein and the intron-exon boundaries, were examined for mutations in three separate studies. Initial screening was performed by single-stranded conformational polymorphism (SSCP) analysis in a subset of 1,688 samples obtained from a population-based case-control study of NTDs in California. In the second study, the DNA sequence of exons 5 and 6 was determined in a group of 50 NTD affected individuals. The final experiment involved using dideoxy fingerprinting (ddF) to screen a population-based case-control sample of 219 individuals who were stratified into four sub-groups on the basis of folate intake and pregnancy outcome. No polymorphism was detected in any of the four exons examined. It is unlikely that the beneficial effects of maternal folate supplementation in preventing NTDs acts through a mechanism involving pharmacological correction of a variant form of folate receptor alpha.
pubmed:grant
pubmed:commentsCorrections
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:chemical
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Apr
pubmed:issn
0148-7299
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:day
1
pubmed:volume
76
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
310-7
pubmed:dateRevised
2010-11-18
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed-meshheading:9545095-Carrier Proteins, pubmed-meshheading:9545095-Case-Control Studies, pubmed-meshheading:9545095-DNA Fingerprinting, pubmed-meshheading:9545095-Dietary Supplements, pubmed-meshheading:9545095-Exons, pubmed-meshheading:9545095-Female, pubmed-meshheading:9545095-Folate Receptors, GPI-Anchored, pubmed-meshheading:9545095-Folic Acid, pubmed-meshheading:9545095-Genetic Variation, pubmed-meshheading:9545095-Humans, pubmed-meshheading:9545095-Infant, Newborn, pubmed-meshheading:9545095-Male, pubmed-meshheading:9545095-Mutation, pubmed-meshheading:9545095-Polymerase Chain Reaction, pubmed-meshheading:9545095-Polymorphism, Single-Stranded Conformational, pubmed-meshheading:9545095-Pregnancy, pubmed-meshheading:9545095-Pregnancy Outcome, pubmed-meshheading:9545095-Receptors, Cell Surface, pubmed-meshheading:9545095-Sequence Analysis, DNA, pubmed-meshheading:9545095-Spinal Dysraphism, pubmed-meshheading:9545095-Tetrahydrofolates
pubmed:year
1998
pubmed:articleTitle
Lack of association between mutations in the folate receptor-alpha gene and spina bifida.
pubmed:affiliation
Department of Veterinary Anatomy and Public Health, Texas A&M University, College Station 77843-4458, USA.
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S., Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't