Maternal folate deficiency results in selective upregulation of folate receptors and heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein-E1 associated with multiple subtle aberrations in fetal tissues

Abstract

Maternal folate deficiency results in selective upregulation of FR and hnRNP-E1 associated with multiple aberrations in fetal tissues that include increased cell loss, architectural anomalies, and premature differentiation. The potential significance of these findings to explain the wide spectrum of folate-responsive birth defects in humans is discussed.