Preprint Article Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

Folic Acid Exerts Dose-Dependent Biphasic Effects on Cardiac Development of Zebrafish Embryos

Version 1 : Received: 9 September 2021 / Approved: 15 September 2021 / Online: 15 September 2021 (09:16:39 CEST)

A peer-reviewed article of this Preprint also exists.

Han, X.; Wang, B.; Jin, D.; Liu, K.; Wang, H.; Chen, L.; Zu, Y. Precise Dose of Folic Acid Supplementation Is Essential for Embryonic Heart Development in Zebrafish. Biology 2022, 11, 28. Han, X.; Wang, B.; Jin, D.; Liu, K.; Wang, H.; Chen, L.; Zu, Y. Precise Dose of Folic Acid Supplementation Is Essential for Embryonic Heart Development in Zebrafish. Biology 2022, 11, 28.

Abstract

Folic acid, one of the 13 essential vitamins, plays an important role in cardiovascular development. Mutations in folic acid synthesis gene 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) is significantly associated with the occurrence of congenital heart disease. However, the mechanisms underlying the regulation of cardiac development by mthfr gene are poorly understood. Here, we exposed zebrafish embryos to excessive folate or folate metabolism inhibitors. And we established a knock-out mutant of mthfr gene in zebrafish by using CRISPR/Cas9. The zebrafish embryos of insufficient or excessive folic acid, and mthfr-/- mutant all gave rise to early pericardial edema and cardiac defect at 3 days after fertilization(dpf). Furthermore, the folic acid treated embryos showed abnormal movement at 5dpf. The expression levels of cardiac marker genes hand2, gata4 and nppa changed in the abnormality of folate metabolism embryos and mthfr-/- mutant, and there is evidence that they are related to the change of methylation level caused by the change of folate metabolism. In conclusion, our study provides a novel model for the in-depth study of MTHFR gene and folate metabolism. And our results reveal that folic acid has a dose-dependent biphasic effect on early cardiac development.

Keywords

mthfr; folic acid; heart development; zebrafish; CRISPR/Cas9

Subject

Biology and Life Sciences, Anatomy and Physiology

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