Medical Dictionary

dihydrofolate reductase

noun di·hy·dro·fo·late reductase \-ˈfō-ˌlāt-\

Medical Definition of DIHYDROFOLATE REDUCTASE

:  an enzyme that catalyzes the reduction of a folate having one of its rings with two double bonds and two attached hydrogen atoms into the dihydro form differing only in having one double bond and four hydrogen atoms in the same ring, that is essential for DNA and protein synthesis, and that is targeted by some anticancer drugs (as methotrexate) in order to inhibit its positive effect on tumor cell growth and reproduction

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