Structure, Function, Folding, and Aggregation of a Neuroferritinopathy-Related Ferritin Variant

Neuroferritinopathy is a rare, adult-onset, dominantly inherited movement disorder caused by mutations in the ferritin gene. A ferritin light-chain variant related to neuroferritinopathy, in which alanine 96 is replaced with threonine (A96T), was expressed in Escherichia coli, purified, and characterized. The circular dichroism, analytical ultracentrifugation, and small-angle X-ray scattering studies have shown that both the subunit structure and the assembly of A96T are the same as those of wild-type human ferritin light chain (HuFTL). The iron-incorporation ability was also comparable to that of HuFTL. Although the structural stability against heat, acid, and denaturant was reduced, the structure was sufficiently stable under physiological conditions. The most remarkable defects observed for A96T were a lower refolding efficiency and a stronger propensity to aggregate. The possible relationship between folding deficiency and disease is discussed.