title: Localization of transferrin within the developing vertebrate nervous system.
abstract: Transferrin is one of several serum proteins localized within neurons during development of the nervous system. The expression of transferrin receptors appears to precede the active accumulation of transferrin by neurons. The first cells immunoreactive for transferrin appear adjacent to the ventricles or to the central canal of the spinal cord. These cells then appear to migrate from this site. These neurons become progressively more immunoreactive for transferrin, attain a peak of reactivity and then lose their reaction to antitransferrin antibodies. Thus, a "window" of transferrin immunoreactivity is found. As neurons lose their reactivity to antitransferrin antibodies, glia and the walls of capillaries become positive. In the rat nervous system, the gradual decrease in intraneuronal transferrin is accompanied by an increase in mitochondrial malate dehydrogenase, an enzyme of the tricarboxylic acid cycle. Thus, the accumulation of transferrin appears to closely precede the ontogeny of oxidative metabolism in the brain. As transferrin appears transiently in all neurons, this protein may be involved in a number of other important developmental events such as the expression of dopamine D2 receptors and the period of "programmed" cell death in the spinal cord.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore 21201.
authors.forename: G J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Markelonis
authors.forename: T H
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Oh
authors.forename: T L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Dion
authors.forename: B S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Bregman
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Pugh
authors.forename: G M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Royal
authors.forename: Y C
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: S L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Hobbs
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002642:Chick Embryo; D009420:Nervous System / Q000032:analysis* / Q000254:growth & development; D051381:Rats; D014168:Transferrin / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D014168:Transferrin