GENES, MICRONUTRIENTS AND HOMEOBOX RELATED MALFORMATIONS

描述(根据申请者的描述改编)：具有很强的流行病学 近年来积累的证据表明，周围观 叶酸是一种有效的药物，可减少癌症的发生和复发 几种常见的先天性畸形。代谢和分子基础 对于这种预防效果是完全未知的，并提供了一种独特的 有机会剖析积极的相互作用的病因因素 受外源叶酸影响。调查人员设计了一系列 探索叶酸的营养和遗传范围的实验- 神经管和心脏病因中可能相互作用的相关因素 缺陷。据推测，编码基因的常见多态 叶酸途径中的关键酶将与不充分的母体相互作用 微量营养素状况对胎儿微环境产生负面影响，以及 促进同源异型盒基因表达的改变和组织特异性 发育畸形。

DESCRIPTION (Adapted from the Applicant's Description): Strong epidemiologic evidence has accumulated in recent years to suggest that periconceptional folic acid is an effective agent in reducing the occurrence and recurrence of several common congenital malformations. The metabolic and molecular basis for this preventive effect is completely unknown, and provides a unique opportunity to dissect the interacting etiologic factors that are positively affected by exogenous folic acid. The investigators designed a series of experiments to explore both the nutritional and genetic scope of folate- related factors that may interact in the etiology of neural tube and heart defects. It is hypothesized that common polymorphism in genes coding for critical enzymes in the folate pathway will interact with inadequate maternal micronutrient status to negatively affect the fetal microenvironment, and promote alterations in homeobox gene expression and tissue-specific developmental malformations.