transferrin

American

[trans-fer-in] / trænsˈfɛr ɪn /

noun

Biochemistry.

a plasma glycoprotein that transports dietary iron to the liver, spleen, and bone marrow.

transferrin British

/ trænsˈfɜːrɪn /

noun

Also called: beta globulin. siderophilin. biochem any of a group of blood glycoproteins that transport iron

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of transferrin

1947; trans- + Latin ferr ( um ) iron + -in ²

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

When the antibody plugs into the capillary’s transferrin receptor, a portal through the blood-brain barrier opens up.

From Barron's • Jun. 3, 2026

Food and Drug Administration approved Avlayah, which taps the transferrin receptor to bring in the enzyme that is missing from the brain cells of children born with Hunter Syndrome.

From Barron's • Jun. 3, 2026

As their target, the researchers chose human transferrin receptor, which has long been the target of antibody-based therapies that aim to reach the brain.

From Science Daily • May 16, 2024

The AAV binds to the human transferrin receptor, which is highly expressed in the blood-brain barrier in humans.

From Science Daily • May 16, 2024

When EPO stimulates the production of erythrocytes, iron is released from storage, bound to transferrin, and carried to the red marrow where it attaches to erythrocyte precursors.

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023