ALDH1L1

ALDH1L1 catalyzes the conversion of 10-formyltetrahydrofolate, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADP+), and water to tetrahydrofolate, NADPH, and carbon dioxide. ALDH1L1 expression is tissue-specific and is highly expressed in the liver.

n an earlier study, Cahoy et al. applied FACS (Fluorescent-Activated Cell Sorting) to isolate astrocytes from EGFP (Enhanced Green Fluorescent Protein) transgenic-mouse, then created a transcriptome database of the expression levels of 20,000 genes by gene profiling of neurons, astrocytes and oligodedrocytes using Affymetrix GeneChip Arrays. They identified ALDH1L1 as a highly and specifically expressed gene in astrocytes. ALDH1L1 is more widely expressed throughout the brains, while astrocyte marker GFAP shows more predominant expression in white matter. In addition, loss of function or expression of  ALDH1L1 is associated with decreased apoptosis, increased cell motility, and cancer progression, suggesting its role as a biomarker and a target in cancer therapy