Interaction of Transferrin with Iron-Binding Sites on Rat Intestinal Epithelial Cell Plasma Membranes 1

Abstract

Summary

Following oral administration of ⁵⁹Fe to rats, over 50% of the isotope in the intestinal mucosa was bound to the plasma membrane of the epithelial cells. Labeled plasma membranes incubated in a medium that contained either plasma or transferrin released a significantly greater quantity of ⁵⁹Fe than labeled membranes incubated in a control medium. These results suggest that transferrin interacts with iron-receptor sites on the epithelial cell plasma membrane.