cDNA clones encoding the entire porcine lactoferrin protein were isolated and sequenced. The porcine lactoferrin cDNA sequence presented here is 2259bp in length and encodes a leader peptide of 19 amino acids and a mature protein of 684 amino acids. Comparisons with other lactoferrins indicate a single glycosylation site. The iron- and anion-binding sites, and the cysteine residues involved in disulphide bonds, are conserved between the lactoferrin proteins.