FOLR1: Products

Folate Receptor 1 (FOLR1), also known as Folate Receptor alpha and Folate Binding Protein (FBP), is a 37-42 kDa protein that mediates the cellular uptake of folic acid and reduced folates. Dietary folates are required for many key metabolic processes including nucleotide and methionine synthesis, the interconversion of glycine and serine, and histidine breakdown. Mature FOLR1 is an N-glycosylated protein that is anchored to the cell surface by a GPI linkage. Human FOLR1 shares 83 percent amino acid sequence identity with mouse and rat FOLR1. FOLR1 is predominantly expressed on epithelial cells and is dramatically up-regulated on many carcinomas. It is critically required during early embryogenesis as shown in knockout mice which die in utero with gross morphological defects. FOLR1 is internalized to the endosomal system where it dissociates from its ligand before recycling to the cell surface. A soluble form of FOLR1 can be proteolytically shed from the cell surface into the serum and breast milk.