Purification and characterization of the intestinal promoter of iron(3+)-transferrin formation.

The nonceruloplasmin enzyme located in the intestinal mucosa which promotes the incorporation of iron into transferrin has been resolved into a small, heat-stable component and a heat-labile protein component. The small, heat-stable component was purified from the high-speed supernatant of intestinal mucosal homogenates by ion-exchange chromatography and gel filtration and identified as xanthine. The heat labile protein component was purified from the high-speed supernatant of intestinal mucosal homogenates by heat treatment, gel filtration, and ion-exchange chromatography. The physical, spectral, and kinetic properties of the heat-labile protein component strongly suggest that it is xanthine oxidase. By promotion of the oxidation and incorporation of iron into transferrin, intestinal xanthine oxidase could perform a similar function in iron absorption as ceruloplasmin serves in the mobilization of iron from liver stores.