Riboflavin in development and cell fate.

Riboflavin (7,8-dimethyl-10-ribitylisoalloxazine; vitamin B2) is a water-soluble vitamin, cofactor derivatives of which (FAD, FMN) act as electron acceptors in the oxidative metabolism of carbohydrate, amino acids and fatty acids and which in the reduced state can donate electrons to complex II of the electron transport chain. This means that riboflavin is essential for energy generation in the aerobic cell, through oxidative phosphorylation. The classic effects of riboflavin deficiency on growth and development have generally been explained in terms of these functions. However, research also suggests that riboflavin may have specific functions associated with cell fate determination, which would have implications for growth and development. In particular, riboflavin depletion interferes with the normal progression of the cell cycle, probably through effects on the expression of regulatory genes, exerted at both the transcriptional and proteomic level.