One-Carbon Metabolism in Liver Health and Disease

Metabolism of methionine and folate is interconnected and both form the so-called one-carbon metabolism that moves one-carbon units from different amino acids (methionine, serine, and glycine) and other nutrients (choline, betaine) to S-adenosylmethionine, acting as an integrator of the liver metabolic status, generating a large variety of outputs, from the methylation of DNA and histones to the synthesis of nucleotides, polyamines, phosphatidylcholine, creatine, and glutathione, and modulating the NADPH/NADP⁺ ratio. Mouse models with defects in the circulation of one-carbon units develop liver disease. Defects in one-carbon metabolism are also frequently observed in patients with chronic liver disease.