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5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase common mutations, folate status and plasma homocysteine in healthy French adults of the Supplementation en Vitamines et Mineraux Antioxydants (SU.VI.MAX) cohort

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 March 2007

A. Chango ,
G. Potier de Courcy ,
F. Boisson ,
J. C. Guilland ,
F. Barbé ,
M. O. Perrin ,
J. P. Christidès ,
K. Rabhi ,
M. Pfister  and
P. Galan
...Show all authors
A. Chango
Affiliation:
Laboratoire de Biochimie Médicale et Pédiatrique, INSERM U-308, Faculté de Médecine, BP 184, F-54505 Vandœuvre-lès-Nancy, France
G. Potier de Courcy
Affiliation:
Institut Scientifique et Technique de la Nutrition et l'Alimentation, Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers, Paris, France
F. Boisson
Affiliation:
Laboratoire de Biochimie Médicale et Pédiatrique, INSERM U-308, Faculté de Médecine, BP 184, F-54505 Vandœuvre-lès-Nancy, France
J. C. Guilland
Affiliation:
Laboratoire de Physiologie, Faculté de Médecine, Dijon, France
F. Barbé
Affiliation:
Laboratoire de Biochimie Médicale et Pédiatrique, INSERM U-308, Faculté de Médecine, BP 184, F-54505 Vandœuvre-lès-Nancy, France
M. O. Perrin
Affiliation:
Laboratoire de Biochimie Médicale et Pédiatrique, INSERM U-308, Faculté de Médecine, BP 184, F-54505 Vandœuvre-lès-Nancy, France
J. P. Christidès
Affiliation:
Institut Scientifique et Technique de la Nutrition et l'Alimentation, Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers, Paris, France
K. Rabhi
Affiliation:
Institut Scientifique et Technique de la Nutrition et l'Alimentation, Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers, Paris, France
M. Pfister
Affiliation:
Laboratoire de Biochimie Médicale et Pédiatrique, INSERM U-308, Faculté de Médecine, BP 184, F-54505 Vandœuvre-lès-Nancy, France
P. Galan
Affiliation:
Institut Scientifique et Technique de la Nutrition et l'Alimentation, Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers, Paris, France
S. Hercberg
Affiliation:
Institut Scientifique et Technique de la Nutrition et l'Alimentation, Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers, Paris, France
J. P. Nicolas*
Affiliation:
Laboratoire de Biochimie Médicale et Pédiatrique, INSERM U-308, Faculté de Médecine, BP 184, F-54505 Vandœuvre-lès-Nancy, France
*
†Corresponding author: Dr J.P. Nicolas, fax +33 3 83 59 27 08 email jean-pierre.nicolas@medecine.uhp-nancy.fr
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Abstract

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The 677cytosine (c)→thymine(T) mutation identified in the 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene has been frequently associated with an elevated plasma homocysteine concentration. The aim of the present study was to determine the impact of this MTHFR common mutation on plasma and erythrocyte folate (RCF) and plasma total homocysteine (tHcy) concentrations in healthy French adults. A cohort of 291 subjects living in the Paris area and participating in the Supplementation en Vitamines et Mineraux Antioxydants (SU.VI.MAX) study were analysed to assess the impact of MTHFR polymorphism 677C→T on folate status and plasma tHcy concentration. The frequency of the mutant homozygote for 677C→T polymorphism (677TT genotype) in the present cohort was 16·8%. There were significant differences in plasma tHcy between 677CC, 677CT and 677TT genotype groups. The RCF concentrations were significantly different between each genotype, the lowest levels being associated with the 677TT genotype. When segregated by gender, no differences in tHcy between homozygous 677TT, heterozygous 677CT and wild-type 677CC genotype groups in women were observed. The fasting tHcy in women was unrelated to the 677C→T mutation. However, tHcy was significantly increased in men with the homozygous 677TT genotype. We also analysed the possible implication of a second new MTHFR polymorphism (1298A→C) in subjects with mild hyperhomocysteinaemia (4th quartile of homocysteinaemia; tHcy >11·1 μmol/l). The polymorphism 1298A→C did not have a notable effect on tHcy or on the RCF levels. Our observations confirm a relatively high frequency of the 677TT genotype in the French population. Women with this genotype did not show the same increase in tHcy observed in men. In the present study dietary folate intake was not measured. Thus, the interaction of dietary folate with the MTHFR genotype in the French population needs further study.

Keywords

FolateHomocysteineMethylenetetrahydrofolate reductasePolymorphism
Type
Research Article
Information
British Journal of Nutrition , Volume 84 , Issue 6 , December 2000 , pp. 891 - 896
Copyright
Copyright © The Nutrition Society 2000

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