Analysis Note

Purity by agarose gel electrophoresis.

Application

Human holo-transferrin has been used:in colony-forming assaysfor transferrin uptake and recycling in transfected HEK-293 (human embryonic kidney) cells or bone marrow cellsfor the preparation of luteinizing and non- luteinizing granulose cells

Biochem/physiol Actions

Studies have shown that co-treatment of breast cancer cells with holo-transferrin, which increases iron levels within cells and derivatives of artemisinin results in increased cell death.

Transferrin (TF) is the iron transport protein in the blood. Iron is transported in the serum by binding to circulating transferrin, which in turn binds to receptors on the cell surface. At the alkaline extracellular pH of 7.4, TF binds one or two ferric ions. The iron-bound TF molecules can bind the dimeric transferrin receptor (TfR). At this pH, iron-free transferrin is not recognized by TfR. This is followed by an endocytotic pathway involving the TfR, where the entire complex is internalized by endocytosis. As the pH reduces in the cell, iron is released from TF. The complex then returns to the cell surface and the apo-TF molecules dissociate from the receptor.

General description

Transferrin (TF) belongs to the family of bilobal glycoproteins, which bind ferric iron. The homologous N- and C-lobes of the protein have a single iron-binding site present in a deep cleft. The gene encoding TF is localized on human chromosome 3q22.1.

Packaging

1 g in glass bottle

100, 500 mg in glass bottle