Apotransferrin and holotransferrin undergo different endocytic cycles in intestinal epithelia (Caco-2) cells.

Previous studies have demonstrated that diferric transferrin and apotransferrin compete for the binding to basolateral transferrin receptors and that transferrin-mediated iron uptake by Caco-2 cells is inhibited by apotransferrin to a larger extent than that predicted solely by receptor competition. This inhibition can have important implications in determining the net exchange of iron between intestinal cells and the basolateral milieu. Accordingly, we further characterized the endocytic cycles of apotransferrin and diferric transferrin in Caco-2 cells. We found that after internalization both apotransferrin and diferric transferrin recycled to the cell exterior, but that apotransferrin had a protracted endocytic cycle. Confocal microscopy studies revealed a different cellular distribution of apotransferrin and diferric transferrin; both were found in a compartment close to the basal membrane, but apotransferrin reached as well regions closer to the apical membrane. Moreover, the intracellular distribution of transferrin receptors was influenced by the iron load of transferrin; cells incubated with apotransferrin presented a more apical distribution of transferrin receptors than cells incubated with diferric transferrin. These results indicate for the first time that the endocytic cycle of transferrin receptors in intestinal epithelial cells is determined by the iron content of transferrin. They explain also the marked inhibitory effect of apotransferrin on transferrin-mediated iron uptake by Caco-2 cells, since incubation of cells with apotransferrin resulted in the actual sequestration of the receptor in the cell interior.