MELTF (melanotransferrin/CD228) is a cell-surface iron-binding protein involved in iron cellular uptake and homeostasis 1. The protein is internalized and recycled between the plasma membrane and early endosomes, binding a single iron atom per subunit while potentially coordinating zinc 1. MELTF expression is CLPTM1L-dependent for its GPI-anchoring to the cell membrane 2. Functionally, MELTF regulates cell proliferation, extracellular matrix disassembly through plasminogen activation, and cell adhesion processes. Disease relevance encompasses multiple malignancies: elevated MELTF is associated with poor prognosis in lung adenocarcinoma and gastric cancer, where increased expression correlates with invasion ability, metastatic potential, and shortened survival 3, 4. The MELTF-AS1 lncRNA drives NSCLC tumorigenesis through YBX1 phase separation, positioning MELTF in broader oncogenic pathways 5. Clinically, MELTF serves as a prognostic biomarker—tissue and serum MELTF levels predict gastric cancer progression 4—and is a therapeutic target for antibody-drug conjugates (SGN-CD228A) across melanoma, triple-negative breast cancer, and squamous NSCLC 1. MELTF also appears dysregulated in chr3 antibody-mediated kidney rejection and benzene-exposed workers at AML risk 6, 7.