Ferritin, cationized from horse spleen

General description

Ferritin, an iron-storage protein is usually present in the liver and spleen in mammals. Iron and ferritin are distributed relatively same in the eye. Ferritin is made up of heavy and light chains.

Application

A cationic derivative used to label negatively charged cell membranes for visualization by electron microscopy.

Ferritin is an iron storage protein that plays a central role in iron metabolism, and may be elevated in inflammatory or malignant diseases. It has been used in studies as an indicator of body iron supply, but may prove inaccurate in in the presence of chronic inflammation.

Ferritin, cationized from horse spleen has been used:

• to incubate amoebae (10⁶) in the study, to determine whether trophozoites are able to take up ferritin and internalise this protein for their growth in axenic culture
• to determine phagosome-lysosome fusion by electron microscopy
• to label freshly excised chick optic tecta in serum free incubation medium

Biochem/physiol Actions

Ferritin holds iron at its ferric state (Fe³⁺). The core of ferritin has the capability to hold 4500 iron molecules. It is essential to store iron in vertebrates. Ferritin is also essential to store and transport iron in invertebrates. It plays a key role in dietary iron absorption.

Preparation Note

Prepared by coupling horse spleen ferritin with N,N-dimethyl-1,3-propanediamine (DMPA).