Folic Acid Pathway
Folic acid (vitamin B9) and vitamin B12 are very important in reducing the occurrences of NTDs. Folate is required for production and maintenance of new cells, for DNA synthesis and RNA synthesis. Folate is needed to carry one carbon groups for methylation and nucleic acid synthesis. It has been hypothesized that the early human embryo may be particularly vulnerable to folic acid deficiency due to differences of the functional enzymes in this pathway during embryogenesis combined with high demand for post translational methylations of the cytoskeleton in neural cells during neural tube closure. Vitamin B12 is also an important receptor in the folic acid biopathway such that studies have shown deficiency in vitamin B12 contributes to risk of NTDs as well.
Read more about this topic: Neural Tube Defect
Famous quotes containing the word pathway:
“Many are obstinate with regard to the pathway once they have set upon it, few with regard to the goal.”
—Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900)