title: Identification and characterization of human mitochondrial methenyltetrahydrofolate synthetase activity.
abstract: We present evidence for the presence of the folate metabolism enzyme methenyltetrahydrofolate synthetase (MTHFS) in mitochondria. MTHFS activity was identified in the matrix of mitochondria purified from human liver biopsies. Mitochondrial and cytoplasmic MTHFS specific activities are similar, 85% of the total cellular MTHFS activity is in the cytoplasm and both native enzymes have similar molecular weights (approximately 25 kDa). Studies using purified mitochondrial MTHFS from CA46 human Burkitt lymphoma cells reveal that mitochondrial MTHFS behaves kinetically like the cytoplasmic enzyme with Km values of 4.7, 0.8 and 22 microM respectively for (6R,S)-5-formyltetrahydrofolate monoglutamate, (6S)-5-formyltetrahydrofolate pentaglutamate and ATP. This finding adds to previous observations that various folate-dependent enzymes reside in the mitochondria of eucaryotic cells. Intracellular tetrahydrofolate metabolism is highly compartmentalized and mitochondrial MTHFS activity is necessary for the entry of mitochondrial 5-formyltetrahydrofolate into the mitochondrial folate pool.
authors.affiliation: Centre de Recherche Louis-Charles Simard, Institut du Cancer de Montréal, Canada.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bertrand
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Beauchemin
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dayan
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ouimet
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jolivet
mesh_terms: D002051:Burkitt Lymphoma / Q000201:enzymology; D019731:Carbon-Nitrogen Ligases; D002460:Cell Line; D006801:Humans; D007700:Kinetics; D008025:Ligases / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D008930:Mitochondria, Liver / Q000201:enzymology*; D008970:Molecular Weight; D013347:Subcellular Fractions / Q000201:enzymology
chemical_list: D008025:Ligases; D019731:Carbon-Nitrogen Ligases; C021557:5,10-methenyltetrahydrofolate synthetase