Species Human Entrez 2348 | Human Mouse Ensembl ENSG00000110195 | |
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Aliases FOLR1, FBP, FOLR, Folate receptor 1, folate receptor 1 (adult) External IDs MGI: 95568 HomoloGene: 7322 GeneCards: FOLR1 | ||
Folate receptor alpha is a protein that in humans is encoded by the FOLR1 gene.
The protein encoded by this gene is a member of the folate receptor (FOLR) family. Members of this gene family have a high affinity for folic acid and for several reduced folic acid derivatives, and mediate delivery of 5-methyltetrahydrofolate to the interior of cells.
This gene is composed of 7 exons; exons 1 through 4 encode the 5' UTR and exons 4 through 7 encode the open reading frame. Due to the presence of 2 promoters, multiple transcription start sites, and alternative splicing of exons, several transcript variants are derived from this gene. These variants differ in the lengths of 5' and 3' UTR, but they encode an identical amino acid sequence.
Clinical significance
FRA can be overexpressed by a number of epithelial-derived tumors including ovarian, breast, renal, lung, colorectal, and brain. Hence antibodies to it are used in targeted therapies and diagnostic tests, e.g. farletuzumab in phase III trial for ovarian cancer.