铁是维持细胞生长繁殖及代谢活动所必需的元素之一,机体内绝大多数游离铁是由转铁蛋白运输传递.转铁蛋白(Tf)是血浆中主要的结合并转运铁的β球蛋白,主要负责运载由胃肠道吸收的铁和由红细胞降解释放的铁.Tf的金属离子结合位点由2个酪氨酸、1个天冬氨酸和1个组氨酸残基构成.Tf除了转运铁外同时还具有许多生理生化功能,如抗菌活性、促细胞生长分化及细胞保护等,是一类多功能蛋白.此外,研究发现Tf还被发现可作为一种新型的药物主动靶向载体,在肿瘤靶向治疗领域中具有广阔的应用前景.该文从Tf的结构特性、多样性、生物学功能及临床应用等方面对Tf进行系统性综述.%Iron is necessary for all living organisms to maintain cell growth,reproduction and metabolic activity.The majority of free iron in the body is transported by transferrin.Transferrin is a [3-globulin which is responsible for binding and carrying iron in the plasma.The primary role of transferrin is to transport iron from the digestive tract and erythrocyte safely around the body to supply growing cells.The metal ion-binding sites of transferrin include two tyrosines,one aspartic acid and one histidine residue.Furthermore,transferrin,as a class of multi-functional protein,not only transports Fe2+,but also has many physiological and biochemical functions,such as antimicrobial activity,promoting cell growth and cell protection.In addition,as a new type of drug targeting carrier,transferrin has broad application prospects in the field of tumor targeted therapy.In this review,we discussed transferrin in terms of structural characteristics,diversity,biological functions and clinical application.
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