IMMUNOLOGICAL CROSS-REACTION BETWEEN LACTOFERRIN AND TRANSFERRIN

Hardly any or only a weak immunological cross-reaction was found between native lactoferrin (Lf) and transferrin (Tf). However, when these iron-binding proteins were denatured with sodium dodecyl sulfate and dithiothreitol, a definite immunological cross-reaction was detected between them. These results indicate that although Lf and Tf are immunologically quite different from each other in their native forms, they have the common antigenic determinant(s) in their unfolded forms.