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Transferrin-mediated uptake of radionuclides by the testis.

UNLABELLED: In an attempt to explain the deleterious effects of gonadal radionuclide localization, we examined the role of transferrin in testicular radionuclide uptake. METHODS: In vivo testicular uptake and retention of the transferrin binding radionuclides 114mIn-citrate and 59Fe-citrate were compared with that of the nontransferrin binding isotopes 137Cs-citrate and Na125I for 63 days postinjection. Isotope uptake mechanisms were investigated in vitro using isolated seminiferous tubules and Sertoli cell monolayers grown in bicameral culture chambers. RESULTS: Indium-114m, 59Fe and 137Cs were localized in the testis by 24 hr postinjection, but accumulation of 125I was minimal. Although testicular 114mIn remained constant, 59Fe declined slowly over the following 63 days and 137Cs fell very rapidly. When 114mIn- or 59Fe-loaded testes were fractionated, and markedly more 114mIn was associated with the seminiferous tubules than 59Fe, suggesting that 114mIn may be retained. In vitro uptake of 59Fe, 67Ga and 114mIn by isolated seminiferous tubules was inhibited by transferrin, but uptake of 137Cs and 125I was unaffected. Iron-59, 67Ga and 114mIn were retained by isolated tubules in contrast to 137Cs and 125I. Whereas 137Cs, 59Fe and 114mIn all crossed Sertoli cell monolayers, the rate of transcellular transport of 137Cs was faster than that of 59Fe or 114mIn, suggesting differences in the intracellular processing of transferrin binding and nontransferrin binding radionuclides. CONCLUSION: These data suggest that some radionuclides may access the seminiferous epithelium through receptor-mediated endocytosis of transferrin. Such radionuclide localization could lead to continuous irradiation of the testes, resulting in mutagenic damage to spermatogenic cells.

Animals↗

Transferrin and ferritin modulate the activity of brain calcium-calmodulin-dependent phosphodiesterase.

The effect of the key iron homeostasis proteins transferrin and ferritin on the activity of partially purified brain calcium-calmodulin-dependent phosphodiesterase (CaM-PDE, EC 3.4.1.17) were studied. Transferrin and ferritin were found to be potent natural activators of CaM-PDE. The key factor determining the degree of activation by these proteins is their saturation with iron: apotransferrin activated CaM-PDE 6-7-fold; iron-poor brain ferritin and liver apoferritin (taken for comparison) activated the enzyme 4-5- and 2-fold, respectively. Diferric transferrin and iron-rich liver ferritin had no effects on the enzyme activity. Transferrin and ferritin (both in apo- and iron-saturated forms) did not change the activity of calmodulin-phosphodiesterase complex. The data suggest that apotransferrin and iron-poor transferrin are involved in the regulation of cyclic nucleotide content in nervous tissue.

3',5'-Cyclic-AMP Phosphodiesterases↗

Characterization of the Pasteurella haemolytica transferrin receptor genes and the recombinant receptor proteins.

The tbpA and tbpB genes encoding the transferrin receptor proteins, TbpA and TbpB, from Pasteurella haemolytica A1 were cloned, sequenced and expressed in Escherichia coli. The genes were organized in a putative operon arrangement of tbpB- tbpA. The tbpB gene was preceded by putative promoter and regulatory sequences, and followed by a 96 base pair intergenic sequence in which no promoter regions were found, suggesting that the two genes are coordinately transcribed. The deduced amino acid sequences of the TbpA and TbpB proteins had regions of homology with the corresponding Neisseria meningitidis, N. gonorrhoeae, Haemophilus influenzae and Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae Tbp and Lbp proteins. The intact tbpB gene was expressed in a T7 expression system and the resulting recombinant TbpB protein retained the functional bovine transferrin binding characteristics. The availability of the recombinant TbpB enabled us to demonstrate its specificity for ruminant transferrins, its ability to bind both the C-and N-terminal lobes of bovine transferrin and its preference for the iron-loaded form of this protein. Several attempts at expressing the cloned tbpA gene were unsuccessful, suggesting that the product of the gene may be toxic to E. coli.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Iron repressibility of siderophore and transferrin-binding protein in Staphylococcus aureus.

In order to investigate whether the iron acquisition mechanisms of Staphylococcus aureus are induced by iron restriction in vitro, we examined S. aureus ATCC 6538 for production of siderophore and expression of transferrin-binding protein (SA-tbp) in normal or deferrated brain heart infusion broth (BHI). Siderophore production was earlier and greater in the deferrated BHI. The SA-tbp, detected by ligand blot assay, was expressed only in the deferrated BHI. When human transferrin was added to the deferrated BHI, siderophore production was later and lower than when transferrin was not present. In conclusion, both iron acquisition mechanisms of S. aureus were found to be iron-repressible and via both of them, human transferrin-bound iron was utilized for growth under iron-restricted condition.

2,2'-Dipyridyl↗

Specific ligand binding attributable to individual epitopes of gonococcal transferrin binding protein A.

The gonococcal transferrin receptor complex comprises two iron-regulated proteins, TbpA and TbpB. TbpA is essential for transferrin-iron uptake and is a TonB-dependent integral outer membrane protein. TbpB is thought to increase the efficiency of iron uptake from transferrin and is lipid modified and surface exposed. To evaluate the structure-function relationships in one of the components of the receptor, TbpA, we created constructs that fused individual putative loops of TbpA with amino-terminal affinity tags. The recombinant proteins were then overexpressed in Escherichia coli, and the fusions were recovered predominately from inclusion bodies. Inclusion body proteins were solubilized, and the epitope fusions were renatured by slow dialysis. To assess transferrin binding capabilities, the constructs were tested in a solid-phase dot blot assay followed by confirmatory quantitative chemiluminescent enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. The constructs with only loop 5 and with loops 4 and 5 demonstrated dose-dependent specific ligand binding in spite of being out of the context of the intact receptor. The immunogenicities of individual TbpA-specific epitopes were investigated by generating rabbit polyclonal antisera against the fusion proteins. Most of the fusion proteins were immunogenic under these conditions, and the resulting sera recognized full-length TbpA in immunoblots. These results suggest that individual epitopes of TbpA are both immunogenic and functional with respect to ligand binding capabilities, and the vaccine implications of these findings are discussed.

Animals↗

Relationship of milk iron and the changing concentration of mammary tissue transferrin receptors during the course of lactation.

The concentration of iron in all mammalian milks falls during lactation while the infant's iron requirement increases. Little is known, however, about the entry of iron into milk. Recently, transferrin receptors have been identified on lactating rat mammary plasma membranes, which may regulate iron entry into mammary tissue, potentiating its availability for subsequent transport into milk. This study was conducted to determine what relationship exists between the declining concentration of milk iron and the transferrin receptor concentration during various stages of lactation. Minimal transferrin receptors were detected in nulliparous rats. Total mammary transferrin receptor content increased during early and mid-lactation while milk iron concentration decreased. The continued appearance of high levels of transferrin receptors throughout lactation, without a concomitant increase in milk iron concentration, suggests a need for iron for functions other than cellular growth or secretion into milk to meet infant needs.

Journal Article↗

Receptor-targeted transfection using stable maleimido-transferrin/thio-poly-L-lysine conjugates.

Cell surface ligand-receptor systems provide favorable routes for DNA transfection due to target cell specificity, transfer efficiency, and low toxicity. Using the transferrin receptor system as a model, an approach to transfection is developed here within which involves the complexing of DNA to stable maleimido-transferrin/thio-poly-L-lysine conjugates. These studies establish the importance of precise stoichiometry for activity of ligand:poly-L-lysine conjugates, as well as a chemistry for their controlled conjugation. Also considered quantitatively are effects of the following related parameters on the efficiency of receptor-mediated transfection: lysine polymer length, conjugate concentration, DNA:conjugate ratio, and treatment of target cells with chloroquine and desferrioxamine. Compared directly to standard procedures (electroporation, modified DEAE-dextran, lipofection, and modified Ca2PO4 protocols), transfection via this transferrin receptor-mediated system was > or = 10-fold more efficient, and essentially nontoxic to erythroleukemic F-MEL and J2E cells. Following transfection these cells retained the physiological capacity to undergo induced differentiation in response to dimethyl sulfoxide (F-MEL cells), or to erythropoietin (J2E cells), the natural hormonal regulator of erythropoiesis. Thus, an optimized approach to transferrin receptor-mediated transfection is developed which should be widely applicable for alternate cells and ligand-receptor systems both in vitro and in vivo.

Animals↗

Transferrin binding protein two interacts with both the N-lobe and C-lobe of ovotransferrin.

The present study was initiated to identify the region(s) of ovotransferrin involved in binding to the bacterial transferrin receptors from Haemophilus paragallinarum and Haemophilus avium. Ovotransferrin was digested with either trypsin or thermolysin to obtain its N-lobe and C-lobe fragments. The individual fragments were then purified by a combination of gel exclusion and ion-exchange chromatography. Solid phase binding experiments with the individual fragments demonstrated that the C-lobe fragments blocked the binding of horse radish peroxidase-conjugated ovotransferrin to the transferrin receptors and that much higher concentrations of the N-lobe fragment were required for any detectable blocking. Affinity isolation of the bacterial transferrin receptor from the two Haemophilus species revealed that both native ovotransferrin and its C-lobe fragment were capable of isolating two iron repressible outer membrane proteins. These 95 and 60 kDa outer membrane proteins correspond to Tbp1 and Tpb2, respectively. In contrast, the N-lobe fragment was capable of isolating Tbp2 of H. paragallinarum but not that of H. avium. The inability of the N-lobe and C-lobe fragments from ovotransferrin and human transferrin to support the growth of iron-limited cultures of H. paragallinarum and Neisseria meningitidis, respectively, suggested that interaction with both lobes is necessary for efficient iron acquisition.

Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins↗

Specific membrane receptors for diferric-transferrin in cultured rat skeletal myocytes and chick-embryo cardiac myocytes.

A classical approach was used to determine whether myocyte cultures exhibited diferric-transferrin binding phenomena consistent with the presence of specific, high-affinity membrane receptors. Experiments were performed using a continuous cell line, designated L-6, derived from rat skeletal muscle, as well as primary cultures of chick-embryo cardiac myocytes. Rat transferrin isolated from pooled serum was used in experiments involving L-6 cells, and ovotransferrin isolated from hen's egg white was used with the chick-embryo cardiac myocytes. The data from equilibrium binding experiments, corrected for nonspecific binding, and analyzed by Scatchard analysis indicated that there were approximately 2 x 10(5) transferrin receptors per L-6 myocyte and 2 x 10(4) ovotransferrin receptors per cardiac myocyte present, under the conditions used for the equilibrium binding experiments. Whereas the L-6 myocytes grew exponentially under the assay conditions, the cardiac-myocyte cultures were in a non-dividing state. It is thought that the differences in receptor number per cell reflect changes arising form the differing ion demand made by the cells, under these two growth conditions. It is clear that myocytes acquire iron from diferric (ovo)transferrin in a process that involves high-affinity, specific binding to membrane receptors.

Animals↗

The physiology of iron, transferrin, and ferritin.

The role of transferrin in iron metabolism is evaluated, both with regard to iron uptake by transferrin and to iron uptake from transferrin by different cells. The heterogeneity of serum transferrin is described and the implications of the heterogeneity are discussed. The composition of ferritin is given and the value of serum ferritins are discussed.

Animals↗

Evaluation of transferrin-polyethylenimine conjugate for targeted gene delivery.

With the aim to improve the specificity and to reduce the cytotoxicity of polyethylenimine (PEI), we have synthesized the conjugates of the branched PEI (25 kDa) with transferrin. The transferrin-PEI (TP) conjugates with five compositions were synthesized using periodate oxidation method and confirmed by FT-IR spectroscopy and gel permeation chromatography. The free amine contents of TP conjugates, which were able to condense and deliver DNA, increased as the amount of PEI increased. TP/DNA polyplexes were characterized by measuring gel electrophoresis, ethidium bromide fluorescence quenching, particle size and zeta potential of complexes. Complete complexation of the polyplexes was observed above the N/P ratio of 5 in TP/ DNA, and above 3 in PEI/DNA, respectively. The zeta potential of the complexes decreased as the amount of transferrin in TP conjugates increased. Transfection efficiency of TP conjugates was evaluated in HeLa cell and Jurkat cell systems. Among the five compositions of TP conjugates, TP-2 system mediated a higher beta-galactosidase gene expression than PEI system in Jurkat cell which was known to express elevated numbers of transferrin receptors. From the results of the cell viability based on MTT assay, TP conjugates showed lower cytotoxicity compared with the PEI system. We expect that the TP conjugate can be used efficiently as a nonviral gene delivery vector.

Cell Survival↗

A specific iron stain for iron-binding proteins in polyacrylamide gels: application to transferrin and lactoferrin.

A new method for specifically staining the iron atoms present in transferrin and lactoferrin after polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and isoelectric focusing is described. The stain, 3-(2-pyridyl)-5,6-bis(2-(5-furylsulfonic acid))-1,2,4-triazine, disodium salt, or Ferene S, will detect transferrin in 5 microliters of human serum, lactoferrin in 10 microliters of human whey, and 10 micrograms of purified primate (Macaca fascicularis) transferrin. This method of staining is very rapid as the serum transferrin bands can be seen within 5 to 10 min of staining.

Animals↗

A rapid redistribution of the transferrin receptor to the cell surface of HL-60 cells and K562 cells upon treatment with dimethyl sulfoxide due to slowing of endocytosis.

Treatment of two human leukemia cell lines with 1.25% dimethyl sulfoxide at 37 degrees C results in a rapid increase in the number of transferrin receptors on the cell surface detected by fluorescein-labeled anti-transferrin receptor antibodies. Both HL-60 cells, a human myeloid cell line, and K562 cells, a human erythroid-myeloid cell line, showed a 25-65% increase in cell surface transferrin binding in parallel experiments. Scatchard plot analysis of the data indicates that the number of receptors increases while the affinity of transferrin for the receptor remains the same. This rapid increase in the number of receptors at the cell surface appears to be due to a slowing of endocytosis rather than an increase in externalization of the receptor.

Cell Line↗

Contrasting uptakes of 59Fe into spleen, liver, kidney and some other soft tissues in normal and hypotransferrinaemic mice. Influence of an antibody against the transferrin receptor.

Uptake of iron-59 from blood into various soft tissues of anaesthetized mice was investigated by continuous intravenous infusion of the radiotracer during 2 hr. The 59Fe was given either as ferrous chloride with ascorbate or as 59Fe-transferrin. Infusions were made into adult mice with and without pretreatment with a monoclonal antibody against transferrin receptors, and into hypotransferrinaemic mice and appropriate controls. In normal mice, 59Fe uptake into spleen was much higher than into other tissues and was 94-96% inhibited by the antibody. Inhibitions due to the antibody were less complete in liver and renal cortex, and there was evidence of some non-transferrin-mediated transport during infusion of 59Fe/ascorbate. In the hypotransferrinaemic mice, tissue uptakes of 59Fe during infusion of 59Fe/ascorbate were enormous, being two to three orders of magnitude greater than in the normal controls. The rank order for size of uptake was liver > renal cortex > pancreas > spleen > other tissues. All tissues examined have a considerable potential capacity for uptake of non-transferrin-bound iron, this being greatest in liver and renal cortex.

Animals↗

Cytotoxic effects of a doxorubicin-transferrin conjugate in multidrug-resistant KB cells.

Cancer chemotherapy is often limited by the emergence of multidrug-resistant tumor cells. Multidrug resistance (MDR) can be caused by amplification of the MDR genes and overexpression of the P-glycoprotein, which is capable of lowering intracellular drug concentrations. A doxorubicin-transferrin conjugate has been synthesized and exerts its cytotoxic effects through a transmembrane mechanism. We have examined the cytotoxicity of this conjugate and compared it with doxorubicin in sensitive (KB-3-1) and in multidrug-resistant KB cell lines (KB-8-5, KB-C1, and KB-V1). In the clonogenic assay, doxorubicin exhibited IC50 concentrations of 0.03 and 0.12 microM in the sensitive (KB-3-1) and resistant (KB-8-5) cell lines, respectively, whereas, doxorubicin-transferrin conjugate was more effective with IC50 concentrations of 0.006 and 0.028 microM, respectively. In highly multidrug-resistant KB-C1 and KB-V1 cells, doxorubicin up to 1 microM did not cause any cytotoxic effects, while the doxorubicin-transferrin conjugate inhibited colony formation of these cells with IC50 levels of 0.2 and 0.025 microM, respectively. These results demonstrate that doxorubicin-transferrin is effective against multidrug-resistant tumor cells.

ATP Binding Cassette Transporter, Subfamily B, Mem↗

Differential inhibition of macrophage proliferation by anti-transferrin receptor antibody ER-MP21: correlation to macrophage differentiation stage.

Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) directed against the transferrin receptor are known to inhibit proliferation of cells due to iron deprivation. Some cell types, however, escape from growth inhibition by a mechanism which is unclear at present. This mechanism is the subject of the present study. We investigated the differential growth inhibition caused by anti-transferrin receptor mAb ER-MP21 in connection with the differentiation of murine macrophages (M phi). Therefore, we applied two models of M phi differentiation, namely, culture of bone marrow cells in the presence of M-CSF and a panel of M phi cell lines ordered in a linear differentiation sequence. In both models we observed that proliferation of M phi precursors was strongly inhibited by ER-MP21. In contrast, proliferation of more mature stages of M phi differentiation was hardly affected. Remarkably, iron uptake by M phi precursor and mature M phi cell lines was inhibited by ER-MP21 to the same extent. However, mature M phi cell lines showed an iron uptake two- to threefold higher than that of M phi precursor cell lines. These observations strongly suggest that mature M phi escape from ER-MP21-mediated growth inhibition, because these cells take up more iron than is actually needed for proliferation. Furthermore, we found that enhanced iron uptake by mature M phi is not necessarily accompanied by a higher cell surface expression of transferrin receptors, thus suggesting an increased recycling of transferrin receptors in mature M phi.

Animals↗

Do monoclonal antibodies Tü15 and Tü67 detect heterogeneity of human transferrin receptor molecules?

The possible molecular heterogeneity of human transferrin receptors was analyzed using two murine monoclonal antibodies, Tü15 and Tü67. Both reagents precipitated from lysates of 125I-labeled HL-60 cells a major component of 88 kDa which could be identified as the transferrin receptor by comparison with the proteins detected by monoclonal antibody OKT9. Although sequential immunoprecipitations appeared to demonstrate molecular heterogeneity of transferrin receptors, since the Tü15-reactive species were fully included in the Tü67-positive population, but not vice versa, the possible association of Tü15-reactive molecules with transferrin receptor is also discussed.

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗

Crystallization and X-ray diffraction studies of a soluble form of the human transferrin receptor.

A soluble tryptic fragment of the human transferrin receptor (residues 121 to 760) has been crystallized from 2.8 M-KCl (pH 6.2) and polyethylene glycol 8000. This fragment retains the transferrin-binding activity of intact transferrin receptor. Although the trypsin treatment removes the intermolecular disulfide bonds, the receptor fragment is dimeric both under physiological conditions and at the high salt concentrations used for crystallization. The receptor fragment crystallizes in the orthorhombic space group P2(1)2(1)2(1), a = 105.5 A, b = 224.5 A, c = 363.5 A. The crystals are extremely radiation sensitive. Their diffraction extends to 3.8 A, and there is some diffuse scatter with helical characteristics. Analysis of these diffraction patterns indicates that the transferrin receptor fragments are arranged in continuous 8-fold symmetric helical columns parallel to the c axis, with a total of 32 receptor fragment monomers in the unit cell. A structure determination is in progress.

Humans↗