The in vivo distribution of iron between the binding sites of transferrin was examined. Plasma was obtained from normal subjects under basal conditions and after in vitro and in vivo iron loading. Independent methods, including measurement of the transferrin profile after isoelectric focusing and cross immunoelectrophoresis, and determination of the iron content in the separated fractions were in agreement that there was a random distribution of iron on binding sites. This held true with in vitro loading, when iron was increased by intestinal absorption and with loading from the reticuloendothelial system. The
MATERIALS AND METHODSFresh heparinized plasma samples were obtained from normal adults after an overnight fast. Loading of plasma with iron above basal levels was achieved in vitro by adding ferrous sulfate (4, 6) and in vivo either through intestinal absorption after oral ingestion of 100 mg of iron as ferrous ascorbate (molar ratio Fe/ascorbate = 1:5) or from the reticuloendothelial system through hemolysis induced by oral ingestion of 300 mg of niacin (15, 16). In both in vivo loading studies, plasma samples were obtained at basal levels of saturation and at 20-min intervals for up to 6 hr after drug ingestion. These plasma samples were trace-labeled by the addition of 125I-labeled apotransferrin or with 59Fe.Labeling of transferrin with 1251 was carried out by the iodine monochloride procedure of McFarlane (17) with modifications as described (5, 6). To 4 ml of the plasma to be analyzed was added 0.2 ,uCi (1 Ci = 37 GBq) of 125I-apotransferrmn (specific activity, 0.4 mCi/mg of protein). The 59Fe was added as ferrous sulfate (0.1 ,uCi in 0.1 ml of 0.01 M HCl (specific activity, 10 ,uCi/,tg of Fe), to the same 4 ml of plasma. The mixture was incubated for 10 min at 370C and thereafter stored at 40C.Electrophoresis in the presence of 6 M urea was based on the separation principle described by Makey and Seal (18), and crossed immunoelectrophoresis was based on the procedures described by Weeke and Soderholm et al. (19,20). The replacement of polyacrylamide by Sea Kem LE agarose (FMC, Marine Colloid Division, Rockland, ME) gave better separation and required less manipulation than did the system described by Leibman and Aisen (21). This particular type of agarose will gel even in the presence of 6 M urea. Reagents were prepared with deionized water and further treated with a chelating resin (Chelex 100, Bio-Rad) to remove any residual contaminating iron (22). The 10 M urea stock solution was mixed for 5 hr with bed resin (50 g/liter; AG501-X8, Bio-Rad), filtered, and stored at 40C. The barbital buffer (0.1 M, pH 8.6) was mixed (5 g/liter) with Chelex 100 and then filtered. In the actual procedure, a mixture of 45 ml of 10 M urea, 35 ml of 0.1 M barbital buffer, and 0.75 g of Sea Kem LE agarose was heated to boiling. We poured the gel in a cold room (2°C) using a precooled leveling table in a humidity chamber. A volume of 16.5 ml of gel per 110 x 102.5 mm sheet of agarose gel support medium (Gel B...