Description
Dihydrofolate reductase, or DHFR, is an enzyme that reduces dihydrofolic acid to tetrahydrofolic acid, using NADPH as electron donor, which can be converted to the kinds of tetrahydrofolate cofactors used in 1-carbon transfer chemistry. In humans, the DHFR enzyme is encoded by the DHFR gene. It is found in the q11→q22 region of chromosome 5. Bacterial species possesses distinct DHFR enzymes (based on their pattern of binding diaminoheterocyclic molecules), but mammalian DHFRs are highly similar.
Abbr
DHFR, Recombinant (Human)
Applications
Dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) is a key enzyme in thymidine synthesis. It catalyzes the reduction of dihydrofolate (DHF) to tetrahydrofolate (THF). At a much lower rate, it catayzes the conversion of folate to THF. Since thymidine is a necessary substrate for DNA synthesis, DHFR is a target for anticancer drug development. Methotrexate is the prototype dihydrofolate reductase inhibitor. The enzyme from Creative Enzymes has been used in the inhibitory studies of Leishmaniasis donovani pteridine reductase 1 (PTR1). The enzyme has also been used as a positive control to measure the DHFR activity of a protein, MS0308, purified from Mycobacterium smegmatis. Human dihydrofolate reductase has been used in a study to investigate the stable expression of green fluorescent protein and the targeted disruption of thioredoxin peroxidase-1 gene in Babesia bovis. Human dihydrofolate reductase has also been used in a study to investigate the structural analysis of human dihydrofolate reductase as a binary complex.
Product Overview
Human DHFR is an 186 amino acid protein with an apparent molecular weight of 25 kDa. It is 30% homologous to the E. coli protein and up to 70% homologous to vertebrate proteins.
Form
Solution in 10 mM Tris pH 8, 1 mM EDTA, 0.5 mM DTT, 5 μM NADPH, protease inhibitors, and 50% glycerol.
Enzyme Commission Number
EC 1.5.1.3
Activity
> 1 units/mg protein
Concentration
0.02-0.06 mg/mL
Unit Definition
One unit will convert 1.0 μmole of dihydrofolic acid to tetrahydrofolic acid in 1 minute at pH 7.5 at 22°C.
Pathway
Cell Cycle, organism-specific biosystem; Cell Cycle, Mitotic, organism-specific biosystem; E2F mediated regulation of DNA replication, organism-specific biosystem; E2F transcription factor network, organism-specific biosystem; Fluoropyrimidine Activity, organism-specific biosystem; Folate biosynthesis, organism-specific biosystem; Folate biosynthesis, conserved biosystem
Synonyms
DHFR; dihydrofolate reductase; DYR; DHFRP1; Tetrahydrofolate NADP+ oxidoreductase; EC 1.5.1.3; tetrahydrofolate dehydrogenase; pteridine reductase:dihydrofolate reductase; dihydrofolate reductase:thymidylate synthase; thymidylate synthetase-dihydrofolate reductase; folic acid reductase; folic reductase; dihydrofolic acid reductase; dihydrofolic reductase; 7,8-dihydrofolate reductase; NADPH-dihydrofolate reductase