Ferritin associates with marginal band microtubules

Journal Article · Tue May 01 00:00:00 EDT 2007 · Experimental Cell Research

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yexcr.2007.02.021· OSTI ID:20972145

Infante, Anthony A ^[1]; Infante, Dzintra ^[1]; Chan, M -C ^[1]; How, P -C ^[1]; Kutschera, Waltraud ^[2]; Linhartova, Irena ^[2]; Muellner, Ernst W ^[3]; Wiche, Gerhard ^[2]; Propst, Friedrich ^[2]

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1. Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT 06459 (United States)
2. Max F. Perutz Laboratories, Department of Molecular Cell Biology, University of Vienna, Dr. Bohr-Gasse 9, A-1030 Vienna (Austria)
3. Max F. Perutz Laboratories, Department of Biochemistry, Medical University of Vienna, Dr. Bohr-Gasse 9, A-1030 Vienna (Austria)

We characterized chicken erythrocyte and human platelet ferritin by biochemical studies and immunofluorescence. Erythrocyte ferritin was found to be a homopolymer of H-ferritin subunits, resistant to proteinase K digestion, heat stable, and contained iron. In mature chicken erythrocytes and human platelets, ferritin was localized at the marginal band, a ring-shaped peripheral microtubule bundle, and displayed properties of bona fide microtubule-associated proteins such as tau. Red blood cell ferritin association with the marginal band was confirmed by temperature-induced disassembly-reassembly of microtubules. During erythrocyte differentiation, ferritin co-localized with coalescing microtubules during marginal band formation. In addition, ferritin was found in the nuclei of mature erythrocytes, but was not detectable in those of bone marrow erythrocyte precursors. These results suggest that ferritin has a function in marginal band formation and possibly in protection of the marginal band from damaging effects of reactive oxygen species by sequestering iron in the mature erythrocyte. Moreover, our data suggest that ferritin and syncolin, a previously identified erythrocyte microtubule-associated protein, are identical. Nuclear ferritin might contribute to transcriptional silencing or, alternatively, constitute a ferritin reservoir.

• OSTI ID: 20972145
• Journal Information: Experimental Cell Research, Vol. 313, Issue 8; Other Information: DOI: 10.1016/j.yexcr.2007.02.021; PII: S0014-4827(07)00070-5; Copyright (c) 2007 Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam, The Netherlands, All rights reserved; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0014-4827
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES
BONE MARROW
CELL NUCLEI
CHICKENS
DIGESTION
ERYTHROCYTES
FERRITIN
IRON
MICROTUBULES