title: Mitochondrial ferritin expression in adult mouse tissues.
abstract: Mitochondrial ferritin (FtMt) is a novel ferritin type specifically targeted to mitochondria. It is highly expressed in the human testis and in sideroblasts from patients with sideroblastic anemia, but other organs have not been studied. To study its expression in the main organs of the mouse, we first used RT-PCR and then produced recombinant mouse FtMt and specific antibodies. Immunohistochemistry analyses confirmed that FtMt is highly expressed in mouse testis, particularly in spermatocytes and interstitial Leydig cells. The protein was also identified in other organs including heart, brain, spinal cord, kidney, and pancreatic islet of Langerhans but not in liver and splenocytes, which have iron storage function and express high levels of cytosolic ferritins. Results indicate that the primary function of ferritin FtMt is not involved in storing cellular or body iron, but its association with cell types characterized by high metabolic activity and oxygen consumption suggests a role in protecting mitochondria from iron-dependent oxidative damage.
authors.affiliation: Department of Bio Technology, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Santambrogio
authors.forename: Giorgio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Biasiotto
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sanvito
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Olivieri
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Arosio
authors.forename: Sonia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Levi
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005293:Ferritins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D024101:Mitochondrial Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009928:Organ Specificity; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D013737:Testis / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D024101:Mitochondrial Proteins; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D005293:Ferritins