Evolutionary significance of the renal excretion of transferrin half-molecule fragments |
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Authors: | John Williams Sheila A. Grace Jennifer M. Williams |
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Affiliation: | Department of Biochemistry, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TD, U.K.;Department of Pathology, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TD, U.K. |
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Abstract: | It is generally thought that the duplicated structure of serum transferrin in vertebrates arose by gene duplication and fusion from a small ancestral protein. We have found that the isolated domains of transferrin are rapidly lost from the bloodstream via the kidneys. Therefore we suggest that the ancestral transferrin was not a serum protein or, alternatively, that it was not as small as the half-molecule. |
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