Visualization of lactotransferrin brush-border receptors by ligand-blotting

The uptake of iron (III) mediated by lactotransferrin to human biopsies from upper intestine has suggested the presence of specific receptors for human lactotransferrin at the brush border (Cox, T., Mazurier, J., Spik, G., Montreuil, J. and Peters, T.J. (1979) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 588, 120-128). In the present data, using 125I-radiolabeled transferrins, we have demonstrated that a preparation of microvillous membrane vesicles, from rabbit jejunal brush-border specifically binds human lactotransferrin. This binding is specific, saturable and calcium dependent. Scatchard plots analysis of lactotransferrin binding indicates 1.5 X 10(13) sites per mg of membrane proteins with an equilibrium constant of 1.2 X 10(6) M-1. Sodium dodecyl sulfate solubilization of the brush-border proteins allows the lactotransferrin receptor to retain its binding activity. Moreover, the ligand blotting of the detergent solubilized membrane proteins on nitrocellulose sheet and after incubation with 125I-labeled lactotransferrin, has shown that the receptor is a protein of about 100 kDa. In the same experimental conditions, the rabbit microvillous membrane vesicles do not specifically bind rabbit serotransferrin indicating the absence of serotransferrin receptors at the brush border.