A new role for lactoferrin: DNA binding and transcription activation.

The specific function of lactoferrin, an iron-binding protein found predominantly in milk and in granulocytes, is unclear. However, researchers now believe that it may modulate immune function. Recent research shows that lactoferrin enters the cell from the serum and is transported into the nucleus where it binds DNA. Specific DNA sequences that can confer lactoferrin-induced gene transcription of a reporter gene have now been identified. This potential direct transcriptional function of lactoferrin is unique and remains to be confirmed in whole cells or tissues. These observations have great potential for explaining the molecular basis for lactoferrin's role in the inflammatory response and in the transfer of immunity from mother to child.