High level of ferritin light chain mRNA in lens.
Ferritin is of particular interest with regard to cataract because (i) cataract occurs in individuals with hereditary hyperferritinemia cataract syndrome (HHCS), a condition in which ferritin light chain (L-ferritin) protein is overexpressed systemically, and (ii) ferritin is an important regulator of oxidative stress, a primary factor in the etiology of aging-related cataract. From gene array analysis two novel observations were made with respect to ferritin gene expression: first, lenses from guinea pigs and humans have disproportionately high levels of L-ferritin mRNA relative to the amounts of ferritin protein present, and second, L-ferritin message increased markedly in lenses from guinea pigs with hereditary nuclear cataract. The human lens L-ferritin sequence was identical to previous data from human liver; the guinea pig sequence was 86% identical to the human sequence at the amino acid level. Despite mRNA levels similar to those of major lens crystallins, lens ferritin was undetectable by Western blot techniques.
Cheng
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Q
Laboratory of Mechanisms of Ocular Diseases, National Eye Institute, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA.
Gonzalez
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P
Zigler
J S
JS
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D002386:Cataract / Q000151:congenital / Q000235:genetics; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D005293:Ferritins / Q000235:genetics*; D006579:Heterozygote; D006720:Homozygote; D006801:Humans; D007908:Lens, Crystalline / Q000378:metabolism*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
D018076:DNA, Complementary; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D005293:Ferritins