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Highly proliferative cells have a dramatically increased need for iron which results in the expression of an increased number of transferrin receptors (TFR). This insight makes the transferrin receptor on these cells an excellent candidate for targeted therapeutics. In this regard, it is critical to understand at a molecular level exactly how the TFR interacts with its ligand, hTF. Understanding of the hTF/TFR pathway could, in theory, maximize the use of this system for development of more effective small molecules or toxin-conjugates to specifically target cancer cells. Many strategies have been attempted with the objective of utilizing the hTF/TFR system to deliver drugs; these include conjugation of a toxin or drug to hTF or direct targeting of the TFR by antibodies. To date, in spite of all of the effort, there is a conspicuous absence of any successful candidate drugs reaching the clinic. We suggest that a lack of quantitative data to determine the basic biochemical properties of the drug carrier and the effects of drug-conjugation on the hTF-TFR interaction may have contributed to the failure to realize the full potential of this system. This review provides some guidelines for developing a more quantitative approach for evaluation of current and future hTF-drug conjugates., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Following an internal contamination event, the transport of actinide (An) and lanthanide (Ln) metal ions through the body is facilitated by endogenous ligands such as the human iron-transport protein transferrin (Tf). The recognition of resulting metallo-transferrin complexes (M2Tf) by the cognate transferrin receptor (TfR) is therefore a critical step for cellular uptake of these metal ions. A high performance liquid chromatography-based method has been used to probe the binding of M2Tf with TfR, yielding a direct measurement of the successive thermodynamic constants that correspond to the dissociation of TfR(M2Tf)2 and TfR(M2Tf) complexes for Fe(3+), Ga(3+), La(3+), Nd(3+), Gd(3+), Yb(3+), Lu(3+), (232)Th(4+), (238)UO2(2+), and (242)Pu(4+). Important features of this method are (i) its ability to distinguish both 1 : 1 and 1 : 2 complexes formed between the receptor and the metal-bound transferrin, and (ii) the requirement for very small amounts of each binding partner (<1 nmol of protein per assay). Consistent with previous reports, the strongest receptor affinity is found for Fe2Tf (Kd1 = 5 nM and Kd2 = 20 nM), while the lowest affinity was measured for Pu2Tf (Kd1 = 0.28 μM and Kd2 = 1.8 μM) binding to the TfR. Other toxic metal ions such as Th(IV) and U(VI), when bound to Tf, are well recognized by the TfR. Under the described experimental conditions, the relative stabilities of TfR:(MxTf)y adducts follow the order Fe(3+) >> Th(4+) ~ UO2(2+) ~ Cm(3+) > Ln(3+) ~ Ga(3+) >>> Yb(3+) ~ Pu(4+). This study substantiates a role for Tf in binding lanthanide fission products and actinides, and transporting them into cells by receptor-mediated endocytosis.

The recent crystal structure of two monoferric human serum transferrin (Fe(N)hTF) molecules bound to the soluble portion of the homodimeric transferrin receptor (sTFR) has provided new details about this binding interaction that dictates the delivery of iron to cells. Specifically, substantial rearrangements in the homodimer interface of the sTFR occur as a result of the binding of the two Fe(N)hTF molecules. Mutagenesis of selected residues in the sTFR highlighted in the structure was undertaken to evaluate the effect on function. Elimination of Ca(2+) binding in the sTFR by mutating two of four coordinating residues ([E465A,E468A]) results in low production of an unstable and aggregated sTFR. Mutagenesis of two histidines ([H475A,H684A]) at the dimer interface had little effect on the kinetics of release of iron at pH 5.6 from either lobe, reflecting the inaccessibility of this cluster to solvent. Creation of an H318A sTFR mutant allows assignment of a small pH-dependent initial decrease in the magnitude of the fluorescence signal to His318. Removal of the four C-terminal residues of the sTFR, Asp757-Asn758-Glu759-Phe760, eliminates pH-stimulated release of iron from the C-lobe of the Fe(2)hTF/sTFR Δ757-760 complex. The inability of this sTFR mutant to bind and stabilize protonated hTF His349 (a pH-inducible switch) in the C-lobe of hTF accounts for the loss. Collectively, these studies support a model in which a series of pH-induced events involving both TFR residue His318 and hTF residue His349 occurs to promote receptor-stimulated release of iron from the C-lobe of hTF.

Background: Human serum transferrin (hTF) is a bilobal glycoprotein that reversibly binds Fe(3+) and delivers it to cells by the process of receptor-mediated endocytosis. Despite decades of research, the precise events resulting in iron release from each lobe of hTF within the endosome have not been fully delineated., Scope of Review: We provide an overview of the kinetics of iron release from hTF±the transferrin receptor (TFR) at endosomal pH (5.6). A critical evaluation of the array of biophysical techniques used to determine accurate rate constants is provided., General Significance: Delivery of Fe(3+)to actively dividing cells by hTF is essential; too much or too little Fe(3+) directly impacts the well-being of an individual. Because the interaction of hTF with the TFR controls iron distribution in the body, an understanding of this process at the molecular level is essential., Major Conclusions: Not only does TFR direct the delivery of iron to the cell through the binding of hTF, kinetic data demonstrate that it also modulates iron release from the N- and C-lobes of hTF. Specifically, the TFR balances the rate of iron release from each lobe, resulting in efficient Fe(3+) release within a physiologically relevant time frame. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled Molecular Mechanisms of Iron Transport and Disorders., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Efficient delivery of iron is critically dependent on the binding of diferric human serum transferrin (hTF) to its specific receptor (TFR) on the surface of actively dividing cells. Internalization of the complex into an endosome precedes iron removal. The return of hTF to the blood to continue the iron delivery cycle relies on the maintenance of the interaction between apohTF and the TFR after exposure to endosomal pH (≤6.0). Identification of the specific residues accounting for the pH-sensitive nanomolar affinity with which hTF binds to TFR throughout the cycle is important to fully understand the iron delivery process. Alanine substitution of 11 charged hTF residues identified by available structures and modeling studies allowed evaluation of the role of each in (1) binding of hTF to the TFR and (2) TFR-mediated iron release. Six hTF mutants (R50A, R352A, D356A, E357A, E367A, and K511A) competed poorly with biotinylated diferric hTF for binding to TFR. In particular, we show that Asp356 in the C-lobe of hTF is essential to the formation of a stable hTF-TFR complex: mutation of Asp356 in the monoferric C-lobe hTF background prevented the formation of the stoichiometric 2:2 (hTF:TFR monomer) complex. Moreover, mutation of three residues (Asp356, Glu367, and Lys511), whether in the diferric or monoferric C-lobe hTF, significantly affected iron release when in complex with the TFR. Thus, mutagenesis of charged hTF residues has allowed identification of a number of residues that are critical to formation of and release of iron from the hTF-TFR complex.

Delivery of iron to cells requires binding of two iron-containing human transferrin (hTF) molecules to the specific homodimeric transferrin receptor (TFR) on the cell surface. Through receptor-mediated endocytosis involving lower pH, salt, and an unidentified chelator, iron is rapidly released from hTF within the endosome. The crystal structure of a monoferric N-lobe hTF/TFR complex (3.22-Å resolution) features two binding motifs in the N lobe and one in the C lobe of hTF. Binding of Fe(N)hTF induces global and site-specific conformational changes within the TFR ectodomain. Specifically, movements at the TFR dimer interface appear to prime the TFR to undergo pH-induced movements that alter the hTF/TFR interaction. Iron release from each lobe then occurs by distinctly different mechanisms: Binding of His349 to the TFR (strengthened by protonation at low pH) controls iron release from the C lobe, whereas displacement of one N-lobe binding motif, in concert with the action of the dilysine trigger, elicits iron release from the N lobe. One binding motif in each lobe remains attached to the same α-helix in the TFR throughout the endocytic cycle. Collectively, the structure elucidates how the TFR accelerates iron release from the C lobe, slows it from the N lobe, and stabilizes binding of apohTF for return to the cell surface. Importantly, this structure provides new targets for mutagenesis studies to further understand and define this system.

His349 in human transferrin (hTF) is a residue critical to transferrin receptor (TFR)-stimulated iron release from the C-lobe. To evaluate the importance of His349 on the TFR interaction, it was replaced by alanine, aspartate, lysine, leucine, tryptophan, and tyrosine in a monoferric C-lobe hTF construct (Fe(C)hTF). Using a stopped-flow spectrofluorimeter, we determined rate processes assigned to iron release and conformational events (in the presence and in the absence of the TFR). Significantly, all mutant/TFR complexes feature dampened iron release rates. The critical contribution of His349 is most convincingly revealed by analysis of the kinetics as a function of pH (5.6-6.2). The Fe(C)hTF/TFR complex titrates with a pK(a) of approximately 5.9. By contrast, the H349A mutant/TFR complex releases iron at higher pH with a profile that is almost the inverse of that of the control complex. At the putative endosomal pH of 5.6 (in the presence of salt and chelator), iron is released from the H349W mutant/TFR and H349Y mutant/TFR complexes with a single rate constant similar to the iron release rate constant for the control; this suggests that these substitutions bypass the required pH-induced conformational change allowing the C-lobe to directly interact with the TFR to release iron. The H349K mutant proves that although the positive charge is crucial to complete iron release, the geometry at this position is also critical. The H349D mutant shows that a negative charge precludes complete iron release at pH 5.6 both in the presence and in the absence of the TFR. Thus, histidine uniquely drives the pH-induced conformational change in the C-lobe required for TFR interaction, which in turn promotes iron release.

The primary route of iron acquisition in vertebrates is the transferrin receptor (TfR) mediated endocytotic pathway, which provides cellular entry to the metal transporter serum transferrin (Tf). Despite extensive research efforts, complete understanding of Tf-TfR interaction mechanism is still lacking owing to the complexity of this system. Electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI MS) is used in this study to monitor the protein/receptor interaction and demonstrate the ability of metal-free Tf to associate with TfR at neutral pH. A set of Tf variants is used in a series of competition and displacement experiments to bracket TfR affinity of apo-Tf at neutral pH (0.2-0.6 microM). Consistent with current models of endosomal iron release from Tf, acidification of the protein solution results in a dramatic change of binding preferences, with apo-Tf becoming a preferred receptor binder. Contrary to the current models implying that the apo-Tf/TfR complex dissociates almost immediately upon exposure to the neutral environment at the cell surface, our data indicate that this complex remains intact. Iron-loaded Tf displaces apo-Tf from TfR, making it available for the next cycle of iron binding, transport and delivery to tissues. However, apo-Tf may still interfere with the cellular uptake of engineered Tf molecules whose TfR affinity is affected by various modifications (e.g., conjugation to cytotoxic molecules). This work also highlights the great potential of ESI MS as a tool capable of providing precise details of complex protein-receptor interactions under conditions that closely mimic the environment in which these encounters occur in physiological systems.

Transferrins are a family of bilobal iron-binding proteins that play the crucial role of binding ferric iron and keeping it in solution, thereby controlling the levels of this important metal. Human serum transferrin (hTF) carries one iron in each of two similar lobes. Understanding the detailed mechanism of iron release from each lobe of hTF during receptor-mediated endocytosis has been extremely challenging because of the active participation of the transferrin receptor (TFR), salt, a chelator, lobe-lobe interactions, and the low pH within the endosome. Our use of authentic monoferric hTF (unable to bind iron in one lobe) or diferric hTF (with iron locked in one lobe) provided distinct kinetic end points, allowing us to bypass many of the previous difficulties. The capture and unambiguous assignment of all kinetic events associated with iron release by stopped-flow spectrofluorimetry, in the presence and in the absence of the TFR, unequivocally establish the decisive role of the TFR in promoting efficient and balanced iron release from both lobes of hTF during one endocytic cycle. For the first time, the four microscopic rate constants required to accurately describe the kinetics of iron removal are reported for hTF with and without the TFR. Specifically, at pH 5.6, the TFR enhances the rate of iron release from the C-lobe (7-fold to 11-fold) and slows the rate of iron release from the N-lobe (6-fold to 15-fold), making them more equivalent and producing an increase in the net rate of iron removal from Fe(2)hTF. Calculated cooperativity factors, in addition to plots of time-dependent species distributions in the absence and in the presence of the TFR, clearly illustrate the differences. Accurate rate constants for the pH and salt-induced conformational changes in each lobe precisely delineate how delivery of iron within the physiologically relevant time frame of 2 min might be accomplished., (Copyright 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Transferrin (TF) is a bilobal transport protein that acquires ferric iron from the diet and holds it tightly within the cleft of each lobe (thereby preventing its hydrolysis). The iron is delivered to actively dividing cells by receptor mediated endocytosis in which diferric TF preferentially binds to TF receptors (TFRs) on the cell surface and the entire complex is taken into an acidic endosome. A combination of lower pH, a chelator, inorganic anions, and the TFR leads to the efficient release of iron from each lobe. Identification of residues/regions within both TF and TFR required for high affinity binding has been an ongoing goal in the field. In the current study, we created human TF (hTF) mutants to identify a region critical to the interaction with the TFR which also constitutes part of an overlapping epitope for two monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) to the N-lobe, one of which was previously shown to block binding of hTF to the TFR. Four single point mutants, P142A, R143A, K144A, and P145A in the N-lobe, were placed into diferric hTF. Isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) revealed that three of the four residues (Pro142, Lys144, and Pro145) in this loop are essential to TFR binding. Additionally, Lys144 is common to the recognition of both mAbs which show different sensitivities to the three other residues. Taken together these studies prove that this loop is required for binding of the N-lobe of hTF to the TFR, provide a more precise description of the role of each residue in the loop in the interaction with the TFR, and confirm that the N-lobe is essential to high affinity binding of diferric hTF to TFR.

Iron release from human serum transferrin (hTF) has been studied extensively; however, the molecular details of the mechanism(s) remain incomplete. This is in part due to the complexity of this process, which is influenced by lobe-lobe interactions, the transferrin receptor (TFR), the salt effect, the presence of a chelator, and acidification within the endosome, resulting in iron release. The present work brings together many of the concepts and assertions derived from previous studies in a methodical, uniform, and visual manner. Examination of earlier work reveals some uncertainty due to sample and technical limitations. We have used a combination of steady-state fluorescence and urea gels to evaluate the effect of conformation, pH, time, and the soluble portion of the TFR (sTFR) on iron release from each lobe of hTF. The use of authentic recombinant monoferric and locked species removes any possibility of cross-contamination by acquisition of iron. Elimination of detergent by use of the sTFR provides a further technical advantage. We find that iron release from the N-lobe is very sensitive to the conformation of the C-lobe, but is insensitive to the presence of the sTFR or to changes in pH (between 5.6 and 6.4). Specifically, when the cleft of the C-lobe is locked, the urea gels indicate that only about half of the iron is completely removed from the cleft of the N-lobe. Iron release from the C-lobe is most affected by the presence of the sTFR and changes in pH, but is unaffected by the conformation of the N-lobe. A model for iron release from diferric hTF is provided to delineate our findings.

Human serum transferrin (hTF) is a bilobal glycoprotein that transports iron to cells. At neutral pH, diferric hTF binds with nM affinity to the transferrin receptor (TFR) on the cell surface. The complex is taken into the cell where, at the acidic pH of the endosome ( approximately pH 5.6), iron is released. Since iron coordination strongly quenches the intrinsic tryptophan fluorescence of hTF, the increase in the fluorescent signal reports the rate constant(s) of iron release. At pH 5.6, the TFR considerably enhances iron release from the C-lobe (with little effect on iron release from the N-lobe). The recombinant soluble TFR is a dimer with 11 tryptophan residues per monomer. In the hTF/TFR complex these residues could contribute to and compromise the readout ascribed to iron release from hTF. We report that compared to Fe(C) hTF alone, the increase in the fluorescent signal from the preformed complex of Fe(C) hTF and the TFR at pH 5.6 is significantly quenched (75%). To dissect the contributions of hTF and the TFR to the change in fluorescence, 5-hydroxytryptophan was incorporated into each using our mammalian expression system. Selective excitation of the samples at 280 or 315 nm shows that the TFR contributes little or nothing to the increase in fluorescence when ferric iron is released from Fe(C) hTF. Quantum yield determinations of TFR, Fe(C) hTF and the Fe(C) hTF/TFR complex strongly support our interpretation of the kinetic data.

Production of the soluble portion of the transferrin receptor (sTFR) by baby hamster kidney (BHK) cells is described, and the effect of glycosylation on the biological function of sTFR is evaluated for the first time. The sTFR (residues 121-760) has three N-linked glycosylation sites (Asn251, Asn317, and Asn727). Although fully glycosylated sTFR is secreted into the tissue culture medium ( approximately 40 mg/L), no nonglycosylated sTFR could be produced, suggesting that carbohydrate is critical to the folding, stability, and/or secretion of the receptor. Mutants in which glycosylation at positions 251 and 727 (N251D and N727D) is eliminated are well expressed, whereas production of the N317D mutant is poor. Analysis by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry confirms dimerization of the sTFR and the absence of the carbohydrate at the single site in each mutant. The effect of glycosylation on binding to diferric human transferrin (Fe(2) hTF), an authentic monoferric hTF with iron in the C-lobe (designated Fe(C) hTF), and a mutant (designated Mut-Fe(C) hTF that features a 30-fold slower iron release rate) was determined by surface plasmon resonance; a small ( approximately 20%) but consistent difference is noted for the binding of Fe(C) hTF and the Mut-Fe(C) hTF to the sTFR N317D mutant. The rate of iron release from Fe(C) hTF and Mut-Fe(C) hTF in complex with the sTFR and the sTFR mutants at pH 5.6 reveals that only the N317D mutant has a significant effect. The carbohydrate at position 317 lies close to a region of the TFR previously shown to interact with hTF.

The molecular basis of the transferrin (TF)-transferrin receptor (TFR) interaction is not known. The C-lobe of TF is required to facilitate binding to the TFR and both the N- and C-lobes are necessary for maximal binding. Several mAb have been raised against human transferrin (hTF). One of these, designated F11, is specific to the C-lobe of hTF and does not recognize mouse or pig TF. Furthermore, mAb F11 inhibits the binding of TF to TFR on HeLa cells. To map the epitope for mAb F11, constructs spanning various regions of hTF were expressed as glutathione S-transferase (GST) fusion proteins in Escherichia coli. The recombinant fusion proteins were analysed in an iterative fashion by immunoblotting using mAb F11 as the probe. This process resulted in the localization of the F11 epitope to the C1 domain (residues 365-401) of hTF. Subsequent computer modelling suggested that the epitope is probably restricted to a surface patch of hTF consisting of residues 365-385. Mutagenesis of the F11 epitope of hTF to the sequence of either mouse or pig TF confirmed the identity of the epitope as immunoreactivity was diminished or lost. In agreement with other studies, these epitope mapping studies support a role for residues in the C1 domain of hTF in receptor binding.

Human transferrin receptor 1 (TfR) binds iron-loaded transferrin (Fe-Tf) and transports it to acidic endosomes where iron is released in a TfR-facilitated process. Consistent with our hypothesis that TfR binding stimulates iron release from Fe-Tf at acidic pH by stabilizing the apo-Tf conformation, a TfR mutant (W641A/F760A-TfR) that binds Fe-Tf, but not apo-Tf, cannot stimulate iron release from Fe-Tf, and less iron is released from Fe-Tf inside cells expressing W641A/F760A-TfR than cells expressing wild-type TfR (wtTfR). Electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy shows that binding at acidic pH to wtTfR, but not W641A/F760A-TfR, changes the Tf iron binding site > or =30 A from the TfR W641/F760 patch. Mutation of Tf histidine residues predicted to interact with the W641/F760 patch eliminates TfR-dependent acceleration of iron release. Identification of TfR and Tf residues critical for TfR-facilitated iron release, yet distant from a Tf iron binding site, demonstrates that TfR transmits long-range conformational changes and stabilizes the conformation of apo-Tf to accelerate iron release from Fe-Tf.