Biomaterial Database

Microheterogeneity of human serum transferrin: a biological phenomenon studied by isoelectric focusing in immobilized pH gradients. 1988

G de Jong, and H G van Eijk

Department of Chemical Pathology, Medical Faculty, Erasmus University, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

The heterogeneity of human transferrin results from (i) differences in iron content, (ii) genetic polymorphism and (iii) differences in the carbohydrate moiety. This article primarily deals with the last phenomenon, the microheterogeneity of human transferrin. Owing to the comparatively simple carbohydrate structure of human transferrin and the high resolving power of isoelectric focusing in immobilized pH gradients, microheterogeneous forms of transferrin can be separated. Differences between samples can be quantitated by crossed immunoelectrophoresis. Examples of the differences between the microheterogeneity patterns of transferrin in several biological fluids and the changes that can be observed in diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, idiopathic hemochromatosis and Kahler's disease are presented. Special attention has been focused on changes occurring during pregnancy.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007525	Isoelectric Focusing	Electrophoresis in which a pH gradient is established in a gel medium and proteins migrate until they reach the site (or focus) at which the pH is equal to their isoelectric point.	Electrofocusing,Focusing, Isoelectric
D008297	Male		Males
D008969	Molecular Sequence Data	Descriptions of specific amino acid, carbohydrate, or nucleotide sequences which have appeared in the published literature and/or are deposited in and maintained by databanks such as GENBANK, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), National Biomedical Research Foundation (NBRF), or other sequence repositories.	Sequence Data, Molecular,Molecular Sequencing Data,Data, Molecular Sequence,Data, Molecular Sequencing,Sequencing Data, Molecular
D009844	Oligosaccharides	Carbohydrates consisting of between two (DISACCHARIDES) and ten MONOSACCHARIDES connected by either an alpha- or beta-glycosidic link. They are found throughout nature in both the free and bound form.	Oligosaccharide
D011247	Pregnancy	The status during which female mammals carry their developing young (EMBRYOS or FETUSES) in utero before birth, beginning from FERTILIZATION to BIRTH.	Gestation,Pregnancies
D012016	Reference Values	The range or frequency distribution of a measurement in a population (of organisms, organs or things) that has not been selected for the presence of disease or abnormality.	Normal Range,Normal Values,Reference Ranges,Normal Ranges,Normal Value,Range, Normal,Range, Reference,Ranges, Normal,Ranges, Reference,Reference Range,Reference Value,Value, Normal,Value, Reference,Values, Normal,Values, Reference
D002240	Carbohydrate Sequence	The sequence of carbohydrates within POLYSACCHARIDES; GLYCOPROTEINS; and GLYCOLIPIDS.	Carbohydrate Sequences,Sequence, Carbohydrate,Sequences, Carbohydrate
D003276	Contraceptives, Oral	Compounds, usually hormonal, taken orally in order to block ovulation and prevent the occurrence of pregnancy. The hormones are generally estrogen or progesterone or both.	Low-Dose Oral Contraceptive,Oral Contraceptive,Oral Contraceptives,Oral Contraceptives, Low-Dose,Oral Contraceptives, Phasic,Contraceptive, Low-Dose Oral,Contraceptive, Oral,Contraceptives, Low-Dose Oral,Contraceptives, Phasic Oral,Low Dose Oral Contraceptive,Low-Dose Oral Contraceptives,Oral Contraceptive, Low-Dose,Oral Contraceptives, Low Dose,Phasic Oral Contraceptives
D005260	Female		Females
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man