Dihydrofolate Reductase
Dihydrofolate Reductase - Related Videos
02:45
Bacterial Growth on a Microfluidic Chip to Study Antibiotic Drug Resistance
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2025
Source: Liu, P. C., et al. Design and Use of a Low Cost, Automated Morbidostat for Adaptive Evolution of Bacteria Under Antibiotic Drug Selection. J. Vis. Exp. (2016)This video demonstrates the use of a microfluidic chip to visualize and compare the growth and morphology of wild-type and trimethoprim-resistant E. coli strains under trimethoprim antibiotic stress.
08:45
Isothermal Titration Calorimetry for Measuring Macromolecule-Ligand Affinity
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Cited by 84 •
2011
A general protocol for the use of isothermal titration calorimetry to monitor the binding thermodynamics for biological systems with moderate binding affinities is presented.
10:50
Design and Use of a Low Cost, Automated Morbidostat for Adaptive Evolution of Bacteria Under Antibiotic Drug Selection
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Cited by 14 •
2016
We describe a low cost, configurable morbidostat that enables the characterization of antibiotic drug resistance by dynamically adjusting the drug concentration. The device can be integrated with a multiplexed microfluidic platform. The approach can be scaled up for laboratory antibiotic drug resistance studies.
01:27
Photosystem I
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2019
Although structurally similar to photosystem II (PSII), photosystem I (PSI) is has a different electron supplier and electron acceptor. Both these photosystems work in concert. An excited electron from PSII is relayed to PSI via an electron transport chain in the thylakoid membrane of the chloroplast, which is comprised of the carrier molecule plastoquinone, the dual-protein cytochrome complex, and plastocyanin. As electrons move between PSII and PSI, they lose energy and must be re-energized...
10:31
Multicolor Time-lapse Imaging of Transgenic Zebrafish: Visualizing Retinal Stem Cells Activated by Targeted Neuronal Cell Ablation
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Cited by 41 •
2010
In this video, techniques for multicolor confocal time-lapse imaging and targeted cell ablation are provided. Time-lapse imaging is used to monitor the behavior of multiple cell types of interest in vivo. Targeted cell ablation facilitates the study neural circuit function and cell-specific neuronal regeneration paradigms.
FAQs
Selectivity determines whether a compound primarily affects human, microbial, or parasitic cells. Methotrexate is directed toward the human enzyme, whereas trimethoprim and pyrimethamine preferentially inhibit microbial or parasitic DHFR. Comparing these target preferences helps connect enzyme-level activity with the intended anticancer, antibacterial, or antiparasitic application.
DHFR inhibition restricts the folate-dependent biochemical support required for DNA synthesis and cell division. Because methotrexate targets the human enzyme, it can limit proliferation in cancer cells and immune cells. This relationship makes the enzyme’s role in folate maintenance directly relevant to pharmacological strategies that control abnormal or excessive cellular growth.
DHFR activity supports the folate pool used in one-carbon metabolism, which supplies activated one-carbon units for producing thymidylate and purine nucleotides. Inhibition therefore has consequences beyond a single enzymatic reaction: it can reduce access to metabolic inputs needed for nucleotide production. This connection helps explain the cellular effects observed during drug development.
Studies can compare compounds by examining which form of DHFR they preferentially inhibit and whether their effects align with anticancer, antibacterial, or antiparasitic goals. Methotrexate provides a human-enzyme reference, while trimethoprim and pyrimethamine represent preferential microbial or parasitic targeting. Assessing inhibition and selectivity together gives a broader pharmacological profile.
DHFR is especially relevant when researchers seek to limit cell proliferation or disrupt folate-dependent nucleotide production. Its pharmacological applications span cancer, immune-cell regulation, bacterial disease, and parasitic disease, depending on the inhibitor’s target preference. This broad scope makes DHFR useful for comparing how one metabolic pathway can support different therapeutic strategies.
Resistance analysis helps researchers evaluate why an inhibitor may lose effectiveness and informs the design of improved DHFR-targeting drugs. In pharmacology, resistance is studied alongside enzyme inhibition and selectivity rather than as an isolated outcome. Together, these factors guide development of anticancer, antibacterial, and antiparasitic compounds with more appropriate target activity.