Molecular entrapment of small molecules within the interior of horse spleen ferritin

A procedure for trapping small molecules inside the interior of horse spleen ferritin (HoSF) and methods for characterizing HoSF and its small entrapped molecules are described. HoSF is first dissociated into subunits by adjustment to pH 2 in the presence of the small molecules to be trapped. The pH of the dissociated HoSF is then increased to 7 at which time the dissociated subunits reassemble reforming the 24-mer HoSF, thereby trapping solvent within its interior. HoSF is then separated from unbound molecules by dialysis, ultrafiltration, and/or ammonium sulfate precipitation. Sephadex G-25 and DEAE chromatographic methods were also used to separate HoSF from unbound small molecules. Capillary electrophoresis (CE) was used to demonstrate the association of small molecules with HoSF after the pH-induced unfolding-refolding process. The pH indicator neutral red was clearly associated with HoSF and presumed trapped within the ferritin interior. Acid/base titrations suggested that the trapped indicator had a different pKa than the free indicator, a result which indicates that the ferritin interior is different than the external solution. The utility of using trapped molecules for gaining information on ferritin function is proposed and discussed.