Folate supplementation in three genetic models: implications for understanding folate-dependent developmental pathways.

Supplementation of a pregnant mother's diet with folate has been shown to protect the developing embryo from birth defects in humans as well as rodent animal models. Folate supplementation not only reverses a potential nutritional deficiency; folate effectively prevents defects even when the mother's nutritional status is normal. These findings indicate that folate is able to interact with the molecular pathways that control normal embryonic development. Supplementation studies in animals provide the experimental starting point for the identification of such folate-responsive pathways. This review summarizes the progress to date in understanding the folate response in genetic models of birth defects in the mouse.