title: Formate: an essential metabolite, a biomarker, or more?
abstract: Plasma and urinary formate concentrations were recently found to be elevated during vitamin B12 and folate deficiencies. It was proposed that formate may be a valuable biomarker of impaired one-carbon metabolism. Formate is an essential intermediary metabolite in folate-mediated one-carbon metabolism and, despite its importance, our knowledge of its metabolism is limited. Formate can be produced from several substrates (e.g., methanol, branched chain fatty acids, amino acids), some reactions being folate-dependent while others are not. Formate removal proceeds via two pathways; the major one being folate-dependent. Formate is a potentially toxic molecule and we suggest that formate may play a role in some of the pathologies associated with defective one-carbon metabolism.
authors.affiliation: Université de Moncton, Biologie, 18 rue Antonine Maillet, Moncton, NB E1A 3E9, Canada. simon.lamarre@umoncton.ca
authors.forename: Simon G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Lamarre
authors.forename: Gregory
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Morrow
authors.forename: Luke
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Macmillan
authors.forename: Margaret E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Brosnan
authors.forename: John T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Brosnan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood / Q000652:urine; D002244:Carbon / Q000378:metabolism; D005492:Folic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D005494:Folic Acid Deficiency / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D005561:Formates / Q000097:blood* / Q000652:urine*; D006801:Humans; D014804:Vitamin B Deficiency / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D005561:Formates; C030544:formic acid; D002244:Carbon; D005492:Folic Acid