Tetrahydrofolates

Tetrahydrofolic acid, or tetrahydrofolate, is a folic acid derivative.Dihydrofolic acid5,10-Methylenetetrahydrofolic acid10-Formyltetrahydrofolic acid Tetrahydrofolic acid, or tetrahydrofolate, is a folic acid derivative. Tetrahydrofolic acid is produced from dihydrofolic acid by dihydrofolate reductase. This reaction is inhibited by methotrexate. It is converted into 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate by serine hydroxymethyltransferase. Many bacteria use dihydropteroate synthetase to produce dihydropteroate, a molecule without function in humans. This makes it a useful target for sulfonamide antibiotics, which compete with the PABA precursor. Tetrahydrofolic acid is a cofactor in many reactions, especially in the synthesis (or anabolism) of amino acids and nucleic acids. 10-Formyltetrahydrofolate acts as a donor of a group with one carbon atom. Tetrahydrofolate gets this extra carbon atom by sequestering formaldehyde produced in other processes. A shortage in tetrahydrofolic acid (FH4) can cause megaloblastic anemia.