title: The catalytic center of ferritin regulates iron storage via Fe(II)-Fe(III) displacement.
abstract: A conserved iron-binding site, the ferroxidase center, regulates the vital iron storage role of the ubiquitous protein ferritin in iron metabolism. It is commonly thought that two Fe(II) simultaneously bind the ferroxidase center and that the oxidized Fe(III)-O(H)-Fe(III) product spontaneously enters the cavity of ferritin as a unit. In contrast, in some bacterioferritins and in archaeal ferritins a persistent di-iron prosthetic group in this center is believed to mediate catalysis of core formation. Using a combination of binding experiments and isotopically labeled (57)Fe(II), we studied two systems in comparison: the ferritin from the hyperthermophilic archaeal anaerobe Pyrococcus furiosus (PfFtn) and the eukaryotic human H ferritin (HuHF). The results do not support either of the two paradigmatic models; instead they suggest a unifying mechanism in which the Fe(III)-O-Fe(III) unit resides in the ferroxidase center until it is sequentially displaced by Fe(II).
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnology, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Kourosh
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Honarmand Ebrahimi
authors.forename: Eckhard
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bill
authors.forename: Peter-Leon
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Hagedoorn
authors.forename: Wilfred R
authors.initials: WR
authors.lastname: Hagen
mesh_terms: D001665:Binding Sites; D055162:Biocatalysis; D002570:Ceruloplasmin / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D005290:Ferric Compounds / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D005293:Ferritins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D005296:Ferrous Compounds / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D007501:Iron / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D008958:Models, Molecular
chemical_list: D005290:Ferric Compounds; D005296:Ferrous Compounds; D005293:Ferritins; D007501:Iron; D002570:Ceruloplasmin