Neural tube defects are common birth defects that have been shown to be reduced through periconceptional folate supplementation, though the mechanism for this effect is unclear. Here they show that FOLR1 is necessary for neural tube formation in human neural organoids and Xenopus laevis embryos, and that this role is independent of its folate transport function.
- Olga A. Balashova
- Alexios A. Panoutsopoulos
- Laura N. Borodinsky