Biology Discussion

I need a reply on two on my classmate response, each reply has to be a minimum of 250 words and each reply must incorporate at least 1 scholarly citation in AMA format.

Reply 1: From this discussion prompt, I can use major points with thoughtful analysis to support my response. To describe the metabolism of folate, humans do not specifically synthesize folate and must obtain folate from their diet. In more details, the folate molecule is synthesized from para-aminobenzoic acid and pterin pyrophosphate through the action of dihydrofolate synthase. Derived in a series of enzymatically catalyzed steps from guanosine triphosphate (GTP), pterin occurs and the paraaminobenzoic acid is the product of shikimate pathway. To enumerate the metabolism of folate, dihydrofolate reductase is located in the liver which converts folate into tetrahydrofolate (THF). As the rate-limiting reaction in humans, this leads to elevated blood concentrations of unmetabolized folic acid when consumed in fortified foods near the U.S. Tolerable Upper Intake Level of 1,000 μg per day. 2 Specifically, tetrahydro folic acid is the active form of folate that serves to respond to one carbon reduction reaction. With this said, these reactions are correlated to the synthesis of nucleotides and amino acids. In fact, tetrahydro folic acid is the active form of folate and serves to respond to one carbon reduction reaction. From above, it is important to know that the enzyme responsible for conversion is dependent on riboflavin (B3) and particular level interactions are involved. Several level interactions between B vitamins are required for DNA synthesis.

With this said, folic acid is required for erythropoiesis and therefore folic acid deficiency will lead to megaloblastic anemia. In addition to the metabolism of folate, the biochemical uses in humans involve the function of folate acting as vitamin B9 and naturally occurring in foods. These foods involve vegetables, beans, fruit, green leafy, and citrus. Folate has the function of helping tissues grow and cells work. In particular, it works with vitamin B12 and vitamin C to help the body break down, use, and create new proteins. Also, it helps in the synthesis of DNA precursors, purines, and pyrimidines and in the formation of red blood cells. From above, we know that THF is the coenzyme of folic acid and is involved in the one-carbon metabolism. Serving as an acceptor or donor of one-carbon units, THF helps in reactions involving amino acid and nucleotide metabolism. Next, I will highlight the causes and consequences of its deficiency. In more details, folic acid deficiency results in decreased production of purines and dTMP which impairs DNA synthesis. From a block in DNA synthesis, erythrocyte maturation is slowed down which results in macrocytic RBC. With the abnormally large RBC, the macrocytic anemia is associated with megaloblastic bone marrow that changes a characteristic feature of folate deficiency. In particular, in pregnant women the folic acid deficiency may lead to neural defects in the fetus with high doses of folic acid. 1 To elaborate on folic acid, it is associated with the metabolism of histidine that forms formiminoglutamate. In this case of folic acid deficiency, FIGLU accumulates and is excreted in the urine that may cause diarrhea, mouth ulcers, peptic ulcer, poor growth, and certain types of anemias. Lastly, I will cover the causes of folate deficiency. With the knowledge of folate being a water-soluble, this is a specific vitamin that isn’t stored in fat cells.

Excess amounts of water-soluble vitamins are released in the urine and the causes of folate deficiency include a few key components. These involve fortified cereals, vegetables, and a diet low in fresh fruits. 1 As a result, diseases that affect absorption in the gastrointestinal tract include Crohn’s disease, severe kidney problems, celiac disease, and particular types of cancers. In more detail, genetic mutations may hinder the body from properly converting dietary folate to its usable form, methyl folate. There are specific medications like phenytoin, methotrexate, sulfasalazine, and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole that can cause folate deficiency. In addition, excessive alcohol intake can affect the folate absorption and increase folate exception through the urine. References 1.Hamid A, Wani NA, Kaur J (April 2009). “New viewpoints on folate transport according to liquor addiction actuated folate malabsorption-relationship with epigenome dependability and disease improvement”. The FEBS Diary. 276 (8): 2175-91. 2.Lohner S, Fekete K, Berti C, Hermoso M, Cetin I, Koletzko B, Decsi T (December 2012). “Impact of folate supplementation on folate status and wellbeing results in babies, youngsters and youths: an orderly survey”. Global Diary of Food Sciences and Nourishment. 63 (8) Reply 2 : Folate metabolism is critical to help our bodies carry out normal processes. Folate is the naturally occurring form of vitamin B9. It is water-soluble, and it is found in many foods naturally. It is also added to foods in its synthetic form, folic acid. Folate plays a role in helping red blood cells divide and proliferate, preventing congenital disabilities, reducing the risk of cancer and heart disease, and helping the body utilize amino acids. Green leafy vegetables such as broccoli, spinach, and asparagus are rich in folate. A folate deficiency can lead to developmental problems, anemia, and vitamin deficiencies. Folate metabolism is a complex process that regulates amino acid changes, DNA methylation, and nucleotide synthesis. The molecular structure of natural folate consists of pteridine, para-aminobenzoic acid (PABA), and multiple glutamates.1 The synthetic form only contains one molecule of glutamate. To be absorbed, folate must be in its monoglutamate form. Mucosal folate conjugase will hydrolyze all but one glutamate in the small intestine.2 Before folate can be transported through the bloodstream, and it must first be reduced to its active form, tetrahydrofolate (FH4). This reduction utilizes two molecules of NADPH and is catalyzed by dihydrofolate reductase. Folate is transported through the bloodstream to the liver and other cells in the form of 5methyltetrahydrofolate (5-methyl THF).1 FH4 can contribute to DNA metabolism, amino acid synthesis, and purine synthesis because of the many oxidations states it can hold one-carbon groups.

Important information for writing discussion questions and participation

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Hello class and welcome to the class and I will be your instructor for this course. This is a -week course and requires a lot of time commitment, organization, and a high level of dedication. Please use the class syllabus to guide you through all the assignments required for the course. I have also attached the classroom policies to this announcement to know your expectations for this course. Please review this document carefully and ask me any questions if you do. You could email me at any time or send me a message via the “message” icon in halo if you need to contact me. I check my email regularly, so you should get a response within 24 hours. If you have not heard from me within 24 hours and need to contact me urgently, please send a follow up text to

I strongly encourage that you do not wait until the very last minute to complete your assignments. Your assignments in weeks 4 and 5 require early planning as you would need to present a teaching plan and interview a community health provider. I advise you look at the requirements for these assignments at the beginning of the course and plan accordingly. I have posted the YouTube link that explains all the class assignments in detail. It is required that you watch this 32-minute video as the assignments from week 3 through 5 require that you follow the instructions to the letter to succeed. Failure to complete these assignments according to instructions might lead to a zero. After watching the video, please schedule a one-on-one with me to discuss your topic for your project by the second week of class. Use this link to schedule a 15-minute session. Please, call me at the time of your appointment on my number. Please note that I will NOT call you.

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Plagiarism is highly prohibited. Please ensure you are citing your sources correctly using APA 7th edition. All assignments including discussion posts should be formatted in APA with the appropriate spacing, font, margin, and indents. Any papers not well formatted would be returned back to you, hence, I advise you review APA formatting style. I have attached a sample paper in APA format and will also post sample discussion responses in subsequent announcements.

Your initial discussion post should be a minimum of 200 words and response posts should be a minimum of 150 words. Be advised that I grade based on quality and not necessarily the number of words you post. A minimum of TWO references should be used for your initial post. For your response post, you do not need references as personal experiences would count as response posts. If you however cite anything from the literature for your response post, it is required that you cite your reference. You should include a minimum of THREE references for papers in this course. Please note that references should be no more than 5 years old except recommended as a resource for the class. Furthermore, for each discussion board question, you need ONE initial substantive response and TWO substantive responses to either your classmates or your instructor for a total of THREE responses. There are TWO discussion questions each week, hence, you need a total minimum of SIX discussion posts for each week. I usually post a discussion question each week. You could also respond to these as it would count towards your required SIX discussion posts for the week.

I understand this is a lot of information to cover in 5 weeks, however, the Bible says in Philippians 4:13 that we can do all things through Christ that strengthens us. Even in times like this, we are encouraged by God’s word that we have that ability in us to succeed with His strength. I pray that each and every one of you receives strength for this course and life generally as we navigate through this pandemic that is shaking our world today. Relax and enjoy the course!

Hi Class,

Please read through the following information on writing a Discussion question response and participation posts.

Contact me if you have any questions.

Important information on Writing a Discussion Question

• Your response needs to be a minimum of 150 words (not including your list of references)
• There needs to be at least TWO references with ONE being a peer reviewed professional journal article.
• Include in-text citations in your response
• Do not include quotes—instead summarize and paraphrase the information
• Follow APA-7th edition
• Points will be deducted if the above is not followed

Participation –replies to your classmates or instructor

• A minimum of 6 responses per week, on at least 3 days of the week.
• Each response needs at least ONE reference with citations—best if it is a peer reviewed journal article
• Each response needs to be at least 75 words in length (does not include your list of references)
• Responses need to be substantive by bringing information to the discussion or further enhance the discussion. Responses of “I agree” or “great post” does not count for the word count.
• Follow APA 7th edition
• Points will be deducted if the above is not followed

• Remember to use and follow APA-7th edition for all weekly assignments, discussion questions, and participation points.
• Here are some helpful links
• The is a great resource