A-Methyltetrahydrofolate-homocysteine

The incubation mixture contained in a Anal volume of 100 /iL 400 fiM DL-homocysteine, 500 (iM ( )-L-A/5-methyltetrahydrofolate, 50 fiM cyanocobalamin, 300 fiM 5-adenosylmethionine, 125 mM 2-mercaptoethanol, 20 fiM L-norvaline, 50 mM potassium phosphate buffer (pH 7.4), and 50 /xL of liver or cell extract. The incubation mixture was immediately flushed with nitrogen and overlayered with 50 /tL of bis(3,5,5-trimethylcyclohexyl)-phthalate. The incubation, carried out at 37°C in the dark, was stopped by the addition of 10 / L of 4 TV perchloric acid. The acid was then neutralized by addition of 10 / L of 4 TV KOH containing 3.3 M potassium bicarbonate. After centrifugation, 90 /iL of supernate was mixed with 175 fiL of o-phthaldialdehyde reagent (prepared by mixing 1 mL of 56 mM o-phthaldialdehyde in methanol with 9 mL of 0.1 M sodium borate buffer, pH 9.5, then adding 40 fiL of 2-mercaptoethanol). After 2 minutes at 23°C, 220 /xL of this mixture was used for HPLC analysis. The assay is linear for at least 2 hours. 

Enzyme activity was assayed in the high speed supernate obtained from rat livers homogenized in 50 mM potassium phosphate buffer (pH 7.4) containing 0.1 M NaCI. It was also shown to be applicable to extracts from human promyelocytic leukemia HL-60 cells, and mouse embryo fibroblasts. 

Other assays reported by Lee et al. (1992) and Goeger and Ganther (1993) deal with the same activity but use different methyl donors. 

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Methylcobalamin is involved in a critically important physiological transformation, namely the methylation of homocysteine (8) to methionine (9) (eq. 2) catalyzed by A/ -methyltetrahydrofolate homocysteine methyltransferase. The reaction sequence involves transfer of a methyl group first from... 

Methylcobalamia is iavolved ia a critically important physiological transformation, namely the methylation of homocysteine (8) to methionine (9) (eq. 2) catalyzed by A/ -methyltetrahydrofolate homocysteine methjitransferase. The reaction sequence involves transfer of a methji group first from A/5 -methjltetrahydrofolate to cobalamin (yielding methjicobalamin) and thence to homocysteine. Once again, the intimate details of the reaction are not weU known (31). Demethylation of tetrahydrofolate to tetrahydrofohc acid is a step in the formation of thymidine phosphate, in turn requited for DNA synthesis. In the absence of the enzyme, excess RNA builds up in ted blood cells. 

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