title: Animal ferritin and bacterioferritin contain quinones.
abstract: The origin of the 440 nm fluorescence of horse spleen ferritin and of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Azotobacter vinelandii bacterioferritin has been investigated using a Nitro Blue Tetrazolium/glycinate colorimetric test specific for quiones [Paz, Flückiger, Boak, Kagan & Gallop (1991) J. Biol. Chem. 266, 689-692]. The results of the analysis indicate that ferritin and bacterioferritins contain quinones. A possible functional role of these quinones in iron uptake and release is described, as is the possibility that the presence of quinones in these proteins results from oxidative damage.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Metalloprotein Spectroscopy and Biology, School of Chemical Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, U.K.
authors.forename: F K
authors.initials: FK
authors.lastname: al-Massad
authors.forename: F H
authors.initials: FH
authors.lastname: Kadir
authors.forename: G R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Moore
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001395:Azotobacter / Q000737:chemistry; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry; D003573:Cytochrome b Group / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry*; D005293:Ferritins / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry*; D005470:Fluorometry; D006736:Horses; D011550:Pseudomonas aeruginosa / Q000737:chemistry; D011809:Quinones / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry; D013050:Spectrometry, Fluorescence; D013154:Spleen / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D003573:Cytochrome b Group; D011809:Quinones; D005293:Ferritins; C018032:bacterioferritin