The mechanism of 5-methyltetrahydrofolate transport by human erythrocytes

The mechanism involved in 5-methyltetrahydrofolate uptake by human cells is poorly understood. To more clearly elucidate this physiologically important process, transport of the vitamin was studied in human erythrocytes. 5-methyltetrahydrofolate uptake was found to increase with reticulocytosis, but measurable incorporation occurred in erythrocyte suspensions depleted of reticulocytes, leukocytes, and platelets, indicating uptake by mature erythrocytes. Incubation of erythrocytes with increasing concentrations of [¹⁴C]5-methyltetrahydrofolate resulted in increasing uptake but decreasing percentage incorporation, consistent with saturation of a carrier system. Both influx and efflux phases of uptake were temperature dependent, with almost no transport at 4°C. Uptake of [¹⁴C]5-methyltetrahydrofolate was effectively inhibited by unlabeled 5-methyltetrahydrofolate, 5-formyltetrahydrofolate, and methotrexate, but not by pteroylglutamic acid. Prior incubation with 5-formyltetrahydrofolate increased uptake of [¹⁴C]5-methyltetrahydrofolate, and extracellular 5-formyltetrahydrofolate enhanced efflux of [¹⁴C]5-methyltetrahydrofolate. Nearly total depletion of ATP increased uptake of [¹⁴C]5-methyltetrahydrofolate, but efflux was unchanged. Column chromatography of membrane-free hemolysate after incubation with [¹⁴C]5-methyltetrahydrofolate showed 95% of radioactivity corresponded to marker radioisotope, and no other peak was noted. Thus, peripheral erythrocytes incorporate 5-methyltetrahydrofolate by a saturable, temperature-dependent, substrate-specific process which is influenced by counter-transport. This mechnism is qualitatively similar to the carrier-mediated transport of folate compounds previously described in other cell types. Therefore, human erythrocytes should be useful for detailed characterization of this membrane carrier system.