Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 3, 2026

Surface-enhanced Resonance Raman Scattering Nanoprobe Ratiometry for Detecting Microscopic Ovarian Cancer via Folate Receptor Targeting
Published on: March 25, 2019
ALDH1L1 and ALDH1L2 Folate Regulatory Enzymes in Cancer
Sergey A Krupenko1,2, Natalia I Krupenko3,4
1Department of Nutrition, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA. sergey_krupenko@unc.edu.
Abstract:
Epidemiological studies implicate excess ethanol ingestion as a risk factor for several cancers and support the concept of a synergistic effect of chronic alcohol consumption and folate deficiency on carcinogenesis. Alcohol consumption affects folate-related genes and enzymes including two major folate-metabolizing enzymes, ALDH1L1 and ALDH1L2. ALDH1L1 (cytosolic 10-formyltetrahydrofolate dehydrogenase) is a regulatory enzyme in folate metabolism that controls the overall flux of one-carbon groups in folate-dependent biosynthetic pathways. It is strongly and ubiquitously down-regulated in malignant tumors via promoter methylation, and recent studies underscored this enzyme as a candidate tumor suppressor and potential marker of aggressive cancers. A related enzyme, ALDH1L2, is the mitochondrial homolog of ALDH1L1 encoded by a separate gene. In contrast to its cytosolic counterpart, ALDH1L2 is expressed in malignant tumors and cancer cell lines and was implicated in metastasis regulation. This review discusses the link between folate and cancer, modifying effects of alcohol consumption on folate-associated carcinogenesis, and putative roles of ALDH1L1 and ALDH1L2 in this process.
Related Concept Videos
Cis-regulatory Sequences
Cis-regulatory Sequences
Enzymes
Enzyme deficiencies can often translate into life-threatening diseases. For example, a genetic abnormality resulting in the deficiency of the enzyme G6PD...
Enzyme Kinetics
Scientists typically study enzyme kinetics with a fixed amount of enzyme in the controlled environment of a test tube. When more reactant, or substrate, is...
Global Regulatory Systems
Enzyme-linked Receptors
Neurotrophin (NT) receptors are a family of RTKs, including trkA, trkB, and trkC (tropomyosin-related kinase) receptors. TrkA is specific for nerve growth factor (NGF), neurotrophin-6, and neurotrophin-7. TrkB binds...

