Transferrin gene expression in choroid plexus of the adult rat brain.

Transferrin immunoreactivity and transferrin messenger RNA (mRNA) were recently found to be present in oligodendrocytes of the adult rat brain by using immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization procedure. The present study demonstrates, in the same way, that epithelial cells of the choroid plexus also contain transferrin together with transferrin mRNA. Choroid plexus of the lateral and the third ventricle are rich in transferrin mRNA, while choroid plexus of the fourth ventricle contain few if any transferrin mRNA. These results demonstrate that epithelial cells of the choroid plexus as well as oligodendrocytes express the transferrin gene in the adult rat brain.