Skip to main content
Log in

Isolation and preliminary characterization of ferritin from clover seeds

  • Research Papers
  • Published:
Biometals Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Ferritin from clover (Trifolium subterraneum) seeds was isolated and characterized. It was shown to contain polypeptide units of 28–26.5 kDa. The apparent molecular mass of the native protein was 560 kDa. The average iron cores were 4 nm in diameter and contained 1300 iron atoms, with Fe:P = 4:1. Purified clover apoferritin was shown to be functional by means of iron uptake experiments. Plots of initial velocities of iron uptake (at pH 6.7) into clover and horse spleen apoferritins were found to have similar profiles.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Ames BN. 1966 Essay of inorganic phosphate, total phosphate and phosphatases. Methods Enzymol 8.

  • Andrews SC, Arosio P, Bottke W, et al. 1992 Structure, function, and evolution of ferritins. J Inorg Biochem 47, 161–174.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bienfait HF, Van Der Mark F. 1983 Phytoferritin and its role in iron metabolism. Ann Proc Phytochem Soc Eur 21, 111–123.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bradford MM. 1976 A rapid and sensitive method for quantitation of microgram quantities of protein utilizing the principle of protein-dye binding. Anal Biochem 72, 248–254.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Chen M, Crichton RR. 1982 Purification and characterization of a bacterioferritin from Azotobacter chrococcum. Biochim Biophys Acta 707, 1–6.

    Google Scholar 

  • Crichton RR. 1991 Inorganic Biochemistry of Iron Metabolism. New York: Ellis Horwood.

    Google Scholar 

  • Crichton RR, Ponce-Ortiz Y, Koch MHJ, Parfait R, Staurhmann HB. 1978 Isolation and characterization of plant ferritins. Biochem J 171, 349–356.

    Google Scholar 

  • Deighton N, Abu-Ragabah A, Rowland IJ, Symons MCR, Peters TS, Ward RJ. 1991 Electron paramagnetic resonance studies of a range of ferritins and haemosiderins. J Chem Soc Faraday Trans 87, 3193–3197.

    Google Scholar 

  • Emery T. 1978 The storage and transport of iron. In: Siegel H, ed. Metal Ions in Biological Systems, vol. 7. New York: Dekker.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ford GC, Harrison PM, Rice DW et al. 1984 Ferritin: design and formation of an iron-storage molecule. Phil Trans R Soc London B304, 551–560.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grossman MJ, Hinton SM, Minak-Bernero V, Slaughter C, Stiefel El. 1992 Unification of the ferritin family of proteins. Proc Natl Acad Sci 89, 2419–2423.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harrison PM, Artymiuk PJ, Ford GC, et al. 1989 Ferritin: function and structural design of an iron storage protein. In: Mann S, Webb J, Williams RJP, eds. Biomineralization. Weinheim: VCH.

    Google Scholar 

  • Laemmli UK. 1970 Cleavage of structural proteins during the assembly of the head of the bacteriophage T4. Nature 227, 680–685.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Laulhere J-P, Lescurc AM, Briat J-F. 1988 Purification and characterization of ferritins from seeds of maize, pea and soya bean. Distribution in various pea organs. J Biol Chem 263, 10289–10294.

    Google Scholar 

  • Laulhere J-P, Labouré AM, Briat J-F. 1989 Mechanism of the transition from plant ferritin to phytosiderin. J Biol Chem 264, 3629–3635.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lescure AM, Massenet O, Briat J-F. 1990 Purification and characterization of an iron-induced ferritin from soyabean (Glycine max) cell suspensions. Biochem J 272, 147–150.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lescure AM, Proudhon D, Pessey H, Ragland M, Theil EC, Briat J-F. 1991 Ferritin gene transcription is regulated by iron in soybean cell cultures. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 88, 8222–8226.

    Google Scholar 

  • Levi S, Luzzago A, Cesareni G, et al. 1988 mechanism of ferritin iron uptake: activity of the H-chain and deletion mapping of the ferro-oxidase site. J Biol Chem 263, 18086–18092.

    Google Scholar 

  • Levi S, Luzzago A, Franceschinelli F, Santambrogio P, Cesareni G, Arosio P. 1989 Mutational analysis of the channel sequences of human ferritin H-chain. Biochem J 264, 381–388.

    Google Scholar 

  • McGuire WS. 1985 Subterranean clover. In: Taylor NL, ed. Clover Science and Technology. Madison WI: American Society of Agronomy.

    Google Scholar 

  • Moore GR, Mann S, Bannister JV. 1986 Isolation and properties of the complex nonheme-iron-containing Cytochrome b 557 (Bacterioferritin) from Pseudomonas aeruginosa. J Inorg Biochem 28, 329–336.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sczekan SR, Joshi JG. 1987 Isolation and characterization of ferritin from soyabeans (Glycine max). J Biol Chem 262, 13780–13788.

    Google Scholar 

  • Spiller SC, Kaufman WF, Thompson WF, Briggs WR. 1987 Specific mRNA and rRNA levels in greening pea leaves during recovery from iron stress. Plant Physiol 84, 409–414.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stiefel El, Watt GD. 1979 Azotobatter cytochrome b 557.5 is a bacterioferritin Nature 279, 81–83.

    Google Scholar 

  • St Pierre TG, Bell SH, Dickson DP, et al. 1986 Mossbauer spectroscopy studies of the cores of human, limpet and bacterial ferritins. Biochim Biophys Acta 870, 127–134.

    Google Scholar 

  • St Pierre TG, Webb J, Mann S. 1989 Ferritin and hemosiderin: structural and magnetic studies of the iron core. In: Mann S, Webb J, Williams RJP, eds. Biomineralization. Weinheim: VCH.

    Google Scholar 

  • Theil EC. 1987 Ferritin: structure, gene regulation, and cellular function in animals, plants, and microorganisms. Annu Rev Biochem 56, 289–315.

    Google Scholar 

  • Theil EC, Hase T. 1993 Plant and microbial ferritins. In: Barton LL, Hemming BC. eds. Iron Chelation in Plants and Soil Microorganisms. New York: Academic Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Towe KM, Bradley WF. 1967 Mineralogical constitution of colloidal ‘hydrous ferric oxides’. J Colloid Interface Sci 24, 384–392.

    Google Scholar 

  • Treffry A, Harrison PM. 1978 Incorporation and release of inorganic phosphate in horse spleen ferritin. Biochem J 171, 313–320.

    Google Scholar 

  • Treffry A, Hirzman J, Yewdall SJ, Harrison PM. 1992 Mechanism of catalysis of iron II oxidation by ferritin H chains. FEBS Lett 302, 108–112.

    Google Scholar 

  • Van der Mark F, De Lange Y, Bienfait HB. 1981 The role of ferritin in developing primary heavy bean leaves under various light conditions. Planta 153, 338–342.

    Google Scholar 

  • Van der Mark F, Van Den Briel W, Huisman G. 1983 Phytoferritin is synthesized in vitro as a high-molecular-weight precursor. Biochem J 214, 943–950.

    Google Scholar 

  • Van der Mark F, Van Den Briel W. 1985. Purification and partial characterization of ferritin from normal and iron-loaded leaves of Phaseolus vulgaris. Plant Sci 39, 55–60.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wade VJ, Treffry A, Laulhere J-P, et al. 1993. Structure and composition of ferritin cores from pea seed (Pisum sativum). Biochim Biophys Acta 1161, 91–96.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Barceló, F., Otero Areán, C. & Moore, G.R. Isolation and preliminary characterization of ferritin from clover seeds. Biometals 8, 47–52 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00156157

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00156157

Keywords

Navigation