Description
Transcobalamin II, also known as TCN2 and TC II, is a plasma protein that binds cobalamin (Cbl; vitamin B12) as it is absorbed in the terminal ileum and distributes to tissues. The circulating transcobalamin II-cobalamin complex binds to receptors on the plasma membrane of tissue cells and is then internalized by receptor-mediated endocytosis. Transcobalamin II is a non-glycolated secretory protein of molecular mass 43 kDa. Its plasma membrane receptor (TC II-R) is a heavily glycosylated protein with a monomeric molecular mass of 62 kDa. Human TCN2 gene is composed of nine exons and eight introns spanning approximately 2 kb with multiple potential transcription start sites. A number of genetic abnormalities are characterized either by a failure to express TCN2 or by synthesis of an abnormal protein. The TCN2 deficiency results in cellular cobalamin deficiency, an early onset of megaloblastic anaemia, and neurological abnormalities