Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Structure of human ferritin L chain.

Zhongmin Wang1, Chester Li, Melanie Ellenburg

  • 1New Century Pharmaceuticals Inc., 895 Martin Road, Huntsville, Alabama 35824, USA.

Acta Crystallographica. Section D, Biological Crystallography
|June 23, 2006
PubMed
Summary

Researchers determined the structure of human L-chain ferritin (HuLF), revealing key details about iron storage and transport mechanisms. This structural insight aids understanding of ferritin

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Biomaterial-Integrated Electroporation for Therapeutic Delivery: From Gene Editing to Tumor Ablation and Immune Modulation.

Small (Weinheim an der Bergstrasse, Germany)·2026
Same author

Patterns and influencing factors of dental implant anxiety in China.

Scientific reports·2026
Same author

Hemoglobin concentration sensing via a high-Q-factor Q-BIC-excited heterogeneous dielectric terahertz metasurface biosensor.

iScience·2026
Same author

Chinese expert consensus: Radioactive iodine-125 seed interstitial brachytherapy for retroperitoneal lymph node metastases (2024 edition).

Journal of cancer research and therapeutics·2026
Same author

pH-regulated ''ON/OFF″ glucose oxidase nanoparticles for synergistic therapy and amplification of immunogenic cell death.

Free radical biology & medicine·2026
Same author

Longitudinal Radiological Remodeling after Irreversible Electroporation Versus Radiofrequency Ablation: A Prospective Comparative Study (The LIRA Study).

International journal of medical sciences·2026

Area of Science:

  • Biochemistry
  • Structural Biology
  • Biophysics

Background:

  • Ferritin is the primary intracellular iron-storage protein, crucial for iron homeostasis.
  • It comprises 24 subunits (heavy H and light L chains) forming a spherical shell.
  • H-rich ferritins oxidize iron(II), while L-rich ferritins manage iron(III) nucleation and storage.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To elucidate the structure of recombinant human L-chain ferritin (HuLF).
  • To investigate the iron nucleation and transport pathways within the ferritin capsid.
  • To provide structural insights for neutron diffraction studies using perdeuterated HuLF.

Main Methods:

  • X-ray crystallography was used to determine two crystal forms of HuLF.
  • Native and perdeuterated proteins were utilized for structural analysis.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Structural data was analyzed to identify key residues and pathways.

    • Main Results:

    • The structures reveal acidic residues at the ferrihydrite nucleation site and iron channel.
    • An ordered cadmium (Cd2+) structure was observed within the iron transport channel.
    • A previously disordered loop (between helices D and E) is clearly visible in the HuLF structures.

    Conclusions:

    • The findings offer detailed insights into the mechanism of iron transport into the ferritin core.
    • The identified structural features provide a basis for understanding L-chain ferritin's role in iron storage.
    • Perdeuterated HuLF crystals are prepared for future neutron diffraction studies, enabling further structural characterization.