ONE CARBON

METABOLISM
BIOCHEMISTRY
PRESENTED BY
ANTONY INFANT
ROLL NO:13
 FOLIC ACID

• Folic acid (or folate ) , which plays a key role in one carbon metabolism , is
essential for the biosynthesis of several compounds.
• Chemistry folic acid is pteroyl-glutamic acid made up of pteridne nucleus-
amino benzoic acid (PABA) and glutamic acid .
• The role of folic acid is that it acts as a carrier of one carbon groups or
moieties required in metabolism.
• Chemically called pteroyl glutamic acid (PGA).
• There are at least three chemically related compounds of nutritional
important which occur in natural product, all may be termed pteroyl
glutamates.
• Three compounds differ only in the number of glutamic acid
residues attached to pteridine PABA complex (pteroic acid).
• Monoglutamate : Having one glutamic acid. It is synonymous
with vitamin Bc.
• Triglutamate: having three glutamic acid residues . This
substance once designated as “fermentation factor”.
• Heptaglutamate: having seven glutamate residues ,
synonymous with vitamin Bc conjugate of yeast. pteroyl
glutamic acid is liberated from these conjugates by enzymes
called conjugases.
 BIOLOGICAL “ACTIVE” FORMS
• Active “coenzyme” form of the
vitamin is the reduced tetra
hydrderivative , Tetrahydrofolate
reductase FH4, obtained by addition
of addition of four hydrogens to the
pteridne moiety at 5,6,7 and 8
position.
• Folic acid is reduced by dihydrofolate
reductase in two steps:
• First to dihydrofolic acid (DHFA), also
called dihydrofolate and then
converted tetra hydrofolate (THFA).
• The double bonds at N-atom 5 and 8 .
 THE ONE CARBON GROUPS ARE AS
• Methyl(-CH30
• Methylene(=CH2)
• Methenyl (=CH-)
• Formyl (-HCO)
• Formimino (-CH=NH-)
• Hydroxy methyl (-CH2 –OH).
• All these one carbon groups which are
carried by folic acid.
 SOURCES OF ONE CARBON
• Serine
• Glycine
• Histidine
• Tryptophan
 METABOLISM OF ONE CARBON
METABOLISM
• One carbon metabolism is basically indicates that there will
be a donation of carbon atom in variety of metabolic reaction.
• Some of metabolic reactions which will need to carry out
function in our body, so we need a C- atom , and that has to be
donated , so it is going to do that so that will be done at
tetrahydro folate (THF)
• Basically THF it carries a one carbon derivative and that will
be donated in some other metabolic reactions.
• Here so the THF is also referred as vitB9, so there are THF
derivatives which are Participating in one carbon metabolism
on they have
• N10 – formyl TFH (-CHO)
• N5 , N10 Methyl THF (-CH2=)
• N5,N10 Methylene THF (-CH2-)
• N5 – Methyl THF (-CH3)
• Now to THF in order to make all these have different types of
folate derivatives, so we need again a vitB6,vitB2,VitB12, So thse
are the other water soluable vitamins but they are necessary for
the THF , to get into all their derivatives.
• So now let us take one carbon metabolism is go on in our body ,
what are reactions shunts or participating in one carbon
metabolism
• So we get folate (from green leaf vegetables ) usually folate we
get as polyglutamate from of folate and the intestine and
glutamates are removed and monoglutamate re just fold is
absorbed and once its , in our body.
• It will be converted to dihydrofolate (DHF) by an enzyme
dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR).
• So now we are going to convert folate into dihydrofolate by an
enzyme DHFR.

Folate dihydro folate reductase dihydrofolate

Now the DHF is converted THF by the same enzyme DHFR applies
aspects for this methotrexate ( basically it is a anticancer drug which
is going to DHFR en
• Zyme there by converting folate into THF is decrease that’s all , so
anyway.
• Now what happens to THF, will interact by a seine , SHMT (serine
hydroxyl methoxy transferase ) this SHMT it needs PLP (pyridoxal
phosphate) as a coenzyme (VitB6) this is needed to make THF
derivative.
• So SHMT while transferase is going to take a methyl form serine and
side chain methyl group ie attached to hydroxyl group there, ie in the
side chain , CH2is taken from serine.
• So this serine will be attached to the THF and the compound that will
get
• N5,N10 methylene THF (-CH2-) and it will get glycine. This is a
reversible reaction.
Once it get a N5,N10 methylene THF , So it has three fates here,
1.It will be used as a coenzyme by thymidylate synthase enzyme , this
TS which is going to convert dUMP (deoxy uridine monophosphate)
into TMP ( Thymidilate monophosphate).

dUMP ------------> TMP

• HISTIDINE: It is a source of formimino group during its
catabolism and transfer this formimino group to THFA resulting
in N5 form imino THFA.
• N5,N10 methenyl THFA can also give raise to formimino THFA as
well as N5 formyl THFA.
• Tryptophan : Formate can directly form N5 formyl THFA.
• It is a source of formate.
SUMMARY OF ONE-
CARBON METABOLISM
 UTILIZATION OF ONE CARBON GROUPS
The one carbon units are used for synthesis of the following compound:
1. C2 of purine
2. Formylation of methionyl tRNA
3. C8 of purine
4. Glycine
5. Serine
6. Choline
7. Transmethylation reactions including creatin, choline and
epinephrine synthesis
8. Elimination as carbon dioxide
THANK YOU