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transferrin

American  
[trans-fer-in] / trænsˈfɛr ɪn /

noun

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


transferrin British  
/ trænsˈfɜːrɪn /

noun

  1. Also called: beta globulin.   siderophilinbiochem 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.

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

Such receptors could be targets for ‘Trojan horse’ drug delivery8, in which proteins are engineered to bind to specific transmembrane receptors that can cross the BBB, such as the transferrin receptor.

From Nature

To move iron atoms from one cell to another, we seal them inside a kind of molecular lockbox, called transferrin.

From New York Times

Crucially, the antibody binds more tightly to BACE1 than to transferrin, and this pulls it off the blood vessel and into the brain.

From Nature

The subterfuge involves the transferrin receptor, a docking site used  to transport iron into the brain.

From Scientific American