Transferrin-bound Iron
Transferrin-bound Iron - Related Videos
08:45
Quantitating Iron Transport Across the Mouse Placenta In Vivo Using Nonradioactive Iron Isotopes
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Cited by 3 •
2022
This article demonstrates how to prepare and administer transferrin-bound nonradioactive isotopic iron for studies of iron transport in mouse pregnancy. The approach for quantifying isotopic iron in fetoplacental compartments is also described.
01:28
The Early Endosome: Endocytosis of Transferrin
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2023
Essential proteins such as insulin or low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and micronutrients such as iron enter a eukaryotic cell through receptor-mediated endocytosis. Subsequently, the early endosomes fuse with the vesicles containing such receptor-ligand complexes and play a vital role in sorting the incoming ligands and receptors. While the ligands are either degraded inside the vesicle or released into the cytosol, their receptors are returned to the plasma membrane for further rounds of...
03:06
Culturing Mycobacterium tuberculosis Under Iron-Limited Conditions
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2025
Source: Gupta, S., et al. Isolation and Characterization of Extracellular Vesicles Produced by Iron-limited Mycobacteria. J. Vis. Exp. (2019)This video demonstrates the procedure for culturing Mycobacterium tuberculosis under iron-limited conditions to induce iron stress and promote the secretion of siderophores that support bacterial survival.
06:37
Staphylococcus aureus Growth using Human Hemoglobin as an Iron Source
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Cited by 31 •
2013
Here we describe a growth assay for Staphylococcus aureus using hemoglobin as the sole source of available nutrient iron. This assay establishes the role of bacterial factors involved in hemoglobin-derived iron acquisition.
05:08
Measurement of Tissue Non-Heme Iron Content using a Bathophenanthroline-Based Colorimetric Assay
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Cited by 8 •
2022
Here, a protocol for the measurement of the non-heme iron content in animal tissues is provided, using a simple, well-established colorimetric assay that can be easily implemented in most laboratories.
FAQs
Acidification within the endosome promotes iron release from transferrin after the complex has entered the cell. This step separates delivery from the later intracellular use of iron: released iron becomes available for cellular metabolism, whereas apo-transferrin and its receptor return to the cell surface. The sequence supports repeated iron uptake without permanently removing the transport machinery.
Recycling is important because the receptor and apo-transferrin are not discarded after one delivery cycle. Their return to the cell surface preserves the pathway’s ability to capture transferrin-bound iron again. This separation between cargo release and component recovery helps cells maintain an ongoing supply for processes that depend on iron.
Attaching ferric iron to transferrin has two biological consequences: it keeps iron soluble in blood and limits the metal’s potentially harmful reactivity. That protective transport state allows iron to move through the circulation while remaining available for cellular needs. The balance is central to distributing iron without leaving it in a freely reactive form.
Transferrin saturation is interpreted as part of a broader set of iron-related measurements rather than as an isolated description of transport. In biology and medicine, it contributes to assessment of iron deficiency, iron overload, anemia, and disorders of iron homeostasis. Its value therefore comes from connecting circulating iron transport with systemic iron balance.
These measurements provide information about systemic iron distribution and can support evaluation when iron availability is abnormal. The relevant contexts include deficiency, overload, anemia, and broader disorders of iron homeostasis. They do not describe only cellular uptake; they also connect blood transport with the organism-level regulation of iron.
Once delivered into cells, iron supports hemoglobin synthesis, mitochondrial enzymes, and other essential processes. This makes transferrin-mediated delivery relevant to both whole-organism physiology and cell biology: circulation distributes the metal, receptor-dependent uptake brings it inside, and intracellular use links transport to oxygen-related and metabolic functions.