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Transferrin Receptor Expression and Iron Uptake in the Injured and Regenerating Rat Sciatic Nerve.

Iron-saturated transferrin is a ubiquitous growth factor that plays a critical role in cellular iron uptake, growth and proliferation. Here we have studied the expression and distribution of transferrin receptors and iron uptake following injury of the rat sciatic nerve. Axotomy led to a massive but transient increase (days 2 - 9, maximum day 4) in [125I]transferrin binding at the site of the injury and in the distal, denervated part of the crushed or resected sciatic nerve, shortly preceding the time course of cellular proliferation (Friede and Johnstone, Acta Neuropathol, 7, 218 - 231, 1967; Jurecka et al., Acta Neuropathol, 32, 299 - 312, 1975). An additional, transient increase in specific binding was observed during reinnervation after reconnection of the resected sciatic nerve. Immunocytochemistry using the Ox-26 monoclonal antibody revealed strong and simultaneous expression of the transferrin receptor protein on two different cell types: on a subpopulation of blood-borne macrophages invading the injured peripheral nerve and on Schwann cells reacting to denervation and reinnervation. In addition, studies using intravenously injected radioactive iron (59Fe3+) showed a massive increase in endoneural iron uptake confined to the lesion site and to the distal part of the axotomised sciatic nerve, parallel to the time course of reactive transferrin receptor expression. Since iron is an essential cofactor of a number of key enzymes needed in energy metabolism and DNA synthesis, these data suggest that the induction of transferrin receptor expression may play an important role in the regulation of cellular growth and proliferation during peripheral nerve regeneration.

Journal Article↗

Role of non-transferrin bound iron in iron overload and liver dysfunction in long term survivors of acute leukaemia and bone marrow transplantation.

AIMS: To determine whether nontransferrin bound iron is present in the serum of long term survivors of acute leukaemia and bone marrow transplantation who have liver dysfunction as indicated by consistently raised serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST) activities. METHODS: Thirty eight patients, who were at least three years from the end of treatment, were studied. Serum samples were analysed for hepatitis C, hepatitis B, AST, ferritin, and non-transferrin bound iron. A bleomycin based assay was used to detect non-transferrin bound iron. Patient and blood bank records were examined to determine the number of units of transfused blood received by each patient. RESULTS: Ten patients had consistently raised serum AST activities. Of these, two had evidence of hepatitis C infection, one had chronic hepatitis B infection and one had chronic graft versus host disease affecting the liver. None of these four patients had detectable non-transferrin bound iron. The remaining six patients had no obvious reason for raised AST activities, but four had non-transferrin bound iron detectable in their serum as compared with only two out of 28 patients with normal AST activities. Patients with abnormal AST activities had higher serum ferritin concentrations than those with normal AST, though serum ferritin was raised in 21 of 28 patients without liver dysfunction. CONCLUSION: Non-transferrin bound iron may be found in this group of patients, suggesting that iron overload is the cause of the observed liver dysfunction. Non-transferrin bound iron may also be a more specific indicator of iron overload than the serum ferritin concentrations.

Adult↗

Effect of osmolar and ionic composition of the extracellular fluid on transferrin endocytosis and exocytosis and iron uptake by reticulocytes.

The effects of osmolar and ionic factors on endocytosis and exocytosis were investigated using rabbit reticulocytes and 125I-59Fe labelled transferrin. Endocytosis and exocytosis of transferrin and the uptake of iron were inhibited by increasing the osmolality or decreasing the ionic strength or pH of the cell incubation medium. However, elevation of the pH above 8.0 inhibited endocytosis but not exocytosis. Replacement of the NaCl in the incubation medium by Nal, NaF, NaSCN, NaClO4, Na2SO4, Na phosphate, or Na Hepes inhibited endocytosis and iron uptake but only Nal, NaF, and NaSCN inhibited exocytosis. Transferrin exocytosis was insensitive to inhibitors of anion or cation transport, but endocytosis and iron uptake were inhibited by several anion transport inhibitors. Overall, transferrin endocytosis was more sensitive than exocytosis to most of the factors which were investigated, and the effects on the rates of endocytosis and iron uptake were quantitatively very similar. The results provide strong support for the concept that transferrin endocytosis is a necessary step in iron uptake by reticulocytes. They do not support the chemiosmotic models of exocytosis in their present formulations, but do not rule out the possible role of an osmotic event in exocytosis.

Ammonium Chloride↗

Vitamin D regulates transferrin receptor expression by bone marrow macrophage precursors.

1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3 [1,25(OH)2D3] is known to prompt monocytic differentiation of a variety of leukemic lines. We previously extended these observations to non-transformed bone marrow macrophage precursors by demonstrating that the steroid enhances plasma membrane expression of the macrophage-specific mannose-fucose receptor (Clohisy et al., J Biol Chem 262:15922-15929, 1987). Because this membrane protein is involved in non-opsonin mediated endocytosis, these observations raised the possibility that 1,25(OH)2D3 globally upregulates endocytic receptors. The present study, aimed at addressing this issue, turns to the transferrin receptor as a paradigm for endocytic receptors and explores the impact of 1,25(OH)2D3 on its expression. We found that in contrast to the mannose-fucose receptor, plasma membrane transferrin receptor expression by bone marrow-derived macrophage precursors declines by at least 30% in a dose-dependent fashion with exposure to 1,25(OH)2D3. The effect reflects diminished receptor capacity with no change in Kd, and is independent of cell cycle. Moreover, while Vmax of receptor-ligand internalization mirrors plasma membrane occupancy, Kuptake remains unaltered in the presence of vitamin D3, indicating that the down-regulating event does not reflect on enhanced rate of endocytosis. Further, pulse chase experiments show parallel cell surface, intra-cellular, and medium redistribution of radioligand with time steroid-treated and control cells. In a similar vein, while total cell-associated radioligand falls in the presence of vitamin D3, the percentage of intracellular and surface bound counts at equilibrium are constant in both groups. Finally, immunoprecipitation studies reveal that the down-regulating effects of 1,25(OH)2D3 cannot be explained by inhibition of transferrin receptor synthesis. Thus, the decrease in total cellular transferrin binding sites is likely to represent either enhanced degradation or synthesis of "cryptic" receptors which fail to recognize 125I-transferrin.

Animals↗

Transferrin is made and bound by photoreceptor cells.

Retinal pigment epithelial cells, which form one aspect of the blood-retinal barrier, control the access of blood-borne components such as diferric transferrin to the neural retina. It has recently been shown that RPE cells remove iron from diferric transferrin in a low pH compartment and subsequently release it in a low molecular weight form that can be chelated by apo-transferrin (Hunt and Davis: J. Cell Physiol. 152:102-110, 1992). It is now shown that photoreceptor cells can bind diferric transferrin to receptors on their inner segments. Moreover, polymerase chain reaction and in situ hybridization show that cells of the neural retina, particularly photoreceptors, make apo-transferrin.

Base Sequence↗

Transferrin receptor expression in non-malignant and malignant human breast tissue.

The expression of transferrin receptor by normal, pregnant and benign hyperplastic breast lesions and by breast carcinomas has been investigated immunohistochemically using two monoclonal antibodies directed against the receptor. Unlike a previous immunohistological study in which staining was confined to malignant breast, transferrin receptor has been detected in pregnant breast and in benign lesions as well as in all carcinomas examined. The latter showed variable reactivity but with staining of most cells in 70 per cent of cases. Although the expression of transferrin receptor in non-malignant conditions may be related to cell proliferation, as has been suggested from studies of activated cells, the extent of reactivity of carcinomas has shown no correlation with tumour characteristics such as differentiation and local tumour spread. It is therefore suggested that the immunologically active transferrin receptor of breast carcinomas may have significance other than that relating to proliferation. The finding that with some carcinomas differences in staining occurred between the two antibodies is a further illustration of the complexities of the nature of transferrin receptor.

Adenofibroma↗

Cytosine arabinoside increases the binding of 125I-labelled epidermal growth factor and 125I-transferrin and enhances the in vitro targeting of human tumour cells with anti-(growth factor receptor) mAb.

We report that cytosine arabinoside (Ara-C), a cytosine analogue that at low doses causes phenotypical changes on human leukemia cells in vitro and in vivo, induces growth inhibition of oropharyngeal cancer KB and lung adenocarcinoma A549 cell lines. An increase in the number of epidermal growth factor and transferrin receptors (EGFR, TrfR) is induced by Ara-C on these cells. Maximal EGFR up-regulation occurs 96 h after the beginning of Ara-C exposure while maximal TrfR up-regulation is detected 24 h later. These effects occur without changes in the affinity of EGFR and TrfR for their ligands. Two classes of EGF-binding sites with a Kd of 0.055 nM and 2.3 nM respectively, and one class of transferrin-binding sites with a Kd of about 4 nM are detected on both untreated and Ara-C-treated KB cells. [3H]Thymidine uptake is clearly stimulated on KB cells by nanomolar concentrations of EGF and transferrin, whereas in Ara-C-treated cells [3H]thymidine uptake is not increased by EGF and transferrin under conditions where maximal EGFR and TrfR up-regulation occurs. The enhanced EGF and transferrin binding is paralleled by a twofold increase of in vitro targeting of Ara-C-treated KB and A549 cells with anti-EGFR 108.1 mAb and anti-TrfR OKT9 mAb. We propose that Ara-C could provide a new approach for the improvement of the therapeutic index of anti-EGFR and anti-TrfR immunoconjugates.

Adenocarcinoma↗

Expression of transferrin receptor on murine hematopoietic progenitors.

We have used a monoclonal antibody against the murine transferrin receptor to study the expression of the transferrin receptor on the hematopoietic progenitor cells (BFU-E, CFU-E, and CFU-C) present in mouse bone marrow. Elutriation and cell-sorting data are consistent with the hypothesis that most CFU-E are transferrin receptor positive while most BFU-E express much less transferrin receptor. CFU-C comprise both transferrin-receptor-positive and -negative cells.

Animals↗

Lack of influence of TfC genetic phenotype on iron, iron-binding capacity, percentage saturation, and immunologically determined transferrin in blood donor sera.

Although over 22 different genetic variants of human transferrin have been described, three subtypes of the TfC allele, TfC1, TfC2, and TfC3, have a combined gene frequency of over 0.95 in most US populations. We measured iron, iron-binding capacity, and immunologically determined transferrin in blood donor sera of known TfC phenotypes, since we thought the results might be transferrin phenotype dependent, as is haptoglobin concentration on haptoglobin genetic phenotype. However, we found no major differences in the mean iron, mean iron-binding capacity, mean percentage saturation, or mean immunological transferrin in blood donors of different TfC phenotypes. We also found reasonably good correlation (r = 0.86) between immunologically determined transferrin and chemically determined iron-binding capacity with no significant differences in the linear regression parameters for sera of various TfC phenotypes.

Alleles↗

Exogenous transferrin is taken up and localized by the neurulation-stage mouse embryo in vitro.

We have screened neurulation-stage mouse embryos for regional differences in protein distribution, by two-dimensional sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The screen has revealed an 83-kD protein (pI 6.8) that is present in embryo regions where neurulation is in progress but not in regions where neurulation is complete. The 83-kD protein is not synthesized in the neurulation-stage embryo or in the yolk sac, but is taken up from the culture serum in vitro and, probably, from the maternal serum in utero. The 83-kD protein has been identified as transferrin on the basis of its electrophoretic migration and recognition on Western blots by an antitransferrin antibody. Culture of embryos in serum containing 125I-transferrin, followed by autoradiography of embryo sections, shows that transferrin is taken up and localized in the gut beneath the closing neural folds at several levels of the body axis in 8.5- and 9.5-day embryos. In situ hybridization studies show that the transferrin receptor mRNA is expressed in all cells of the 9.5-day embryo, including the gut endoderm. These findings are consistent with a role for transferrin in development of the gut and perhaps, indirectly, in completion of neurulation during early mouse embryogenesis.

Animals↗

Distribution of transferrin receptors in relation to cytochrome oxidase activity in the human spinal cord, lower brainstem and cerebellum.

Neuronal activity and oxidative energy metabolism are tightly coupled. There is evidence that cytochrome oxidase, the terminal enzyme of the electron transport chain, can serve as a metabolic marker of neuronal activity. All the respiratory chain enzymes have iron containing prosthetic groups and therefore represent an important component of iron utilisation. Since iron entry into cells is mediated by the transferrin receptor, this receptor may also serve as marker of neuronal activity. The histochemical distribution of cytochrome oxidase has therefore been compared with the autoradiographic distribution of the transferrin receptor in the human spinal cord, brainstem and cerebellum. Cytochrome oxidase activity showed a very similar pattern of distribution to the transferrin receptor in the spinal cord, brainstem and cerebellum. The highest levels of cytochrome oxidase activity and transferrin receptor binding were associated with; in the spinal cord, the substantia gelatinosa, laminae II and III and the motor neurones; in the medulla and pons, the spinal trigeminal nucleus, hypoglossal nucleus, dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus, inferior and superior olives, nucleus praepositus, nucleus paramedianus, central grey, superior central nuclei and locus coeruleus; in the cerebellum, the molecular layer. The results suggest that the transferrin receptor may provide a useful marker of total neuronal respiratory activity.

Aged↗

Effect of pH and iron content of transferrin on its binding to reticulocyte receptors.

The effect of pH on the binding of apotransferrin and diferric transferrin to reticulocyte membrane receptors was investigated using rabbit transferrin and rabbit reticulocyte ghosts, intact cells and a detergent-solubilized extract of reticulocyte membranes. The studies were performed within the pH range 4.5-8.0. The binding of apotransferrin to ghosts and membrane extracts and its uptake by intact reticulocytes was high at pH levels below 6.5 but decreased to very low values as the pH was raised above 6.5. By contrast, diferric transferrin showed a high level of binding and uptake between pH 7.0 and 8.0 in addition to binding only slightly less than did apotransferrin at pH values below 6.5. It is proposed that the high affinity of apotransferrin for its receptor at lower pH values and low affinity at pH 7.0 or above allow transferrin to remain bound to the receptor when it is within acidic intracellular vesicles, even after loss of its iron, but also allow ready release from the cell membrane when it is exteriorized by exocytosis after iron uptake. The binding of transferrin to the receptor throughout the endocytosis-exocytosis cycle may protect it from proteolytic breakdown and aid in its recycling to the outer cell membrane.

Animals↗

Endothelial binding of transferrin in fractionated liver cell suspensions.

Several studies using crude liver cell suspensions incubated with labeled transferrin have led to a conclusion that hepatocytes have transferrin receptors. When a visual probe, which permits evaluation of transferrin binding to individual cells, was used, the binding was unexpectedly found to be limited to endothelial cells in liver cell suspensions. Neither hepatocytes nor Kupffer cells contained transferrin receptors. In the present study, we fractionated liver cell suspensions using metrizamide gradients and centrifugal elutriation to obtain hepatocytes, Kupffer cell and endothelial cell fractions of high purity. Incubation of these fractions with 125I- or 59Fe-labeled transferrin led to exclusive binding to endothelial cells but not hepatocytes nor Kupffer cells. Kinetic analysis demonstrated Kd of 1.9 X 10(-7) M, Bmax of 3.1 pmol/10(6) cells per min, corresponding to 2.1 X 10(5) molecules/cell per min. At 4 degrees C, the binding reached a steady-state plateau within 5 min. Comparison of our data with those of previous investigators demonstrates a consistency if we consider that crude liver cell suspensions are contaminated with 2-3% endothelial cells. Thus, the previously reported findings may be entirely due to the contamination of crude liver cell suspensions with a small number of endothelial cells.

Animals↗

Transferrin endocytosis and the mechanism of iron uptake by reticulocytes in the toad (Bufo marinus).

Reticulocytosis was induced in toads (Bufo marinus) by treatment with phenylhydrazine. Iron and transferrin uptake and transferrin endocytosis and exocytosis by these cells were measured. The mean number of transferrin receptors per cell was found to be 4.5 X 10(5) and the affinity constant of transferrin to receptors was 0.2 X 10(7) M-1. Iron and transferrin uptake were temp.-dependent processes. An inflection point occurred at 15-16 degrees C in the Arrhenius plots of endocytosis and iron uptake. The activation energies of these two processes above and below the inflection temperature were 31 and 71 kJ/mol. It is concluded that iron uptake by immature toad erythroid cells occurs by receptor-mediated endocytosis which still functions at temps as low as 5 degrees C.

Animals↗

The specific binding of transferrin to the murine fibroblast cell lines AKR-2B and its malignant counterpart AKR-MCA may be related to the transformed state.

The specific binding of radiolabelled transferrin to AKR-2B and AKR-MCA murine fibroblasts was studied. The binding of radioligand to both cell lines was specific, being displaced by excess of unlabelled transferrin but not myoglobin, or lactoperoxidase. Under equilibrium conditions the transformed line AKR-MCA bound significantly more radioactive transferrin (22.5 +/- 3.5 fmol/micrograms DNA) than the parental line AKR-2B (14.5 +/- 1.5 fmol/micrograms DNA). The differences in the amount of ligand bound was due to altered receptor numbers. Treatment of AKR-MCA and AKR-2B cells with DMF eliminated the difference in transferrin binding capacities. The maximum decrease in specific ligand binding to AKR-MCA cells brought about by the polar solvent was observed after 48 h. These data suggest an association between transferrin binding and the transformed state of AKR-2B fibroblasts.

Animals↗

Comparison of transferrin sequences from different species.

1. Amino acid sequences of transferrins from eight species, from human to tobacco hornworm, have been compared. Eighty-four amino acids (12%) are invariant, including three of the four ligands for the N-terminal Fe3+ ion. 2. The most highly conserved regions of both lobes of transferrin are the internal beta-sheets of domains 1 and 2, and helices 5 and 7 which abut the Fe3+ binding site. Two small patches of conserved surface residues, which may be involved in receptor binding, have also been identified. 3. Phylogenies have been deduced from pairwise alignment of the sequences of the N- and C-terminal lobes independently. The phylogenies are consistent with the evolutionary tree derived from the fossil record, and with the observation that the gene duplication which created the N- and C-terminal lobes of transferrin occurred before the divergence of the mammalian and insect lines. 4. The phylogenies predict that the lactotransferrin family diverged some 200 Myr ago, after the separation of the lines leading to mammals and birds. In contrast, the phylogenies predict that melanotransferrin diverged before the separation of the mammalian and avian lines. 5. Sequence comparisons also suggest that the stoichiometry of the transferrin receptor:transferrin complex is 2:1.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Isolation and characterisation of Haemophilus influenzae type b mutants defective in transferrin-binding and iron assimilation.

The quinone antibiotic streptonigrin was used to select mutants of Haemophilus influenzae type b defective in human transferrin binding. Compared with the parent wild-type strain (JKP1), mutant JKP5 was unable to bind transferrin whilst mutant JKP4 showed reduced binding. JKP5 appeared to lack an approximately 72 kDa transferrin-binding protein. Unlike JKP1, neither JKP4 nor JKP5 were able to acquire iron from human transferrin but their ability to use a variety of other iron and haem compounds as iron sources was unaffected. Such mutants should prove useful in further elucidating the mechanism of transferrin iron-acquisition and its contribution to the virulence of H. influenzae.

Carrier Proteins↗

Evidence for non-siderophore-mediated acquisition of transferrin-bound iron by Pasteurella multocida.

Two clinical isolates of Pasteurella multocida associated with bovine pneumonia were examined for iron acquisition. Both isolates were capable of obtaining iron for growth from bovine but not from human, avian, equine or porcine transferrin. This correlated with specific binding of bovine transferrin by iron-limited cells or isolated membranes. No siderophore was detected in the strains by a general screening assay. In response to iron-limited conditions, a number of high molecular mass iron-regulated outer membrane proteins were produced including an 82 kDa receptor protein which was affinity isolated with biotinylated transferrin. In contrast, avian strains of P. multocida could not use transferrin-bound for growth and did not express either transferrin binding activity or the 82 kDa receptor protein.

Animals↗