Characterization of ferritin in murine erthroleukaemia cells

Murine erythroleukaemic cells were studied to determine whether different isoferritins have different functions. The cells were labelled with radioactive iron and the pattern of isoferritins was analysed by chromatofocussing. No changes was found after iron-loading the cells but after inducing erythroid differentiation with dimethyl sulphoxide (DMSO), iron was incorporated into both more basic and more acidic isoferritins. This was compared to ferritin subunit synthesis; DMSO induced the synthesis of a third, minor subunit whereas iron-loading had no effect. The fate of murine erythroleukaemic cell ferritin iron was followed after incubations in iron-deficient medium containing DMSO; some, but not all, of the ferritin iron was mobilized and used for haem synthesis, and the remaining iron was found amongst the more basic isoferritins. Finally, sequential radioactive iron labels were used to demonstrate that the movement of iron from ferritin to haem was compatible with the ‘last-in-first-out’ principle, but this could not be related to different isoferritins. These results show firstly that DMSO changes the pattern of isoferritins and ferritin subunits in murine erythroleukaemic cells. Secondly, iron associated with more basic isoferritins seems to be less easily mobilized for haem synthesis. These results support the concept that different isoferritins have different functions.     

Characterization of ferritin in murine erythroleukaemia cells

Murine erythroleukaemic cells were studied to determine whether different isoferritins have different functions. The cells were labelled with radioactive iron and the pattern of isoferritins was analysed by chromatofocussing. No change was found after iron-loading the cells but after inducing erythroid differentiation with dimethyl sulphoxide (DMSO), iron was incorporated into both more basic and more acidic isoferritins. This was compared to ferritin subunit synthesis; DMSO induced the synthesis of a third, minor subunit whereas iron-loading had no effect. The fate of murine erythroleukaemic cell ferritin iron was followed after incubations in iron-deficient medium containing DMSO; some, but not all, of the ferritin iron was mobilized and used for haem synthesis, and the remaining iron was found amongst the more basic isoferritins. Finally, sequential radioactive iron labels were used to demonstrate that the movement of iron from ferritin to haem was compatible with the 'last-in-first-out' principle, but this could not be related to different isoferritins. These results show firstly that DMSO changes the pattern of isoferritins and ferritin subunits in murine erythroleukaemic cells. Secondly, iron associated with more basic isoferritins seems to be less easily mobilized for haem synthesis. These results support the concept that different isoferritins have different functions.     

Functional studies on rat-liver isoferritins

Rat-liver and horse-spleen isoferritins were obtained by preparative isoelectric focussing and several of these were fractionated further by sucrose density gradient centrifugation. H- and L-subunit compositions were also measured. Isoferritins were found to have neither a fixed iron content nor a unique subunit composition. In both species within a single isoferritin a small increase in the percentage of H subunit paralleled increasing iron content. Although in horse-spleen ferritin a similar correlation was found over the isoferritin profile as a whole, this was not generally true of rat-liver isoferritins, since iron distributions varied with the iron status of the animals. Rates of iron incorporation into isoapoferritins were measured in vitro and the distribution of 59Fe among rat liver isoferritins was measured at various times after injection of 59Fe. The data do not support the proposal that, in rat liver, L-rich isoferritins are the preferred iron-storage form.     

A Quantitative Analysis of Isoferritins in Select Regions of Aged, Parkinsonian, and Alzheimer's Diseased Brains

Abstract: The brain requires a ready supply of iron for normal neurological function, but free iron is toxic. Consequently, iron bioavailability must be stringently regulated. Recent evidence has suggested that the brain iron regulatory system is dysfunctional in neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases (AD and PD, respectively). A key component of the iron regulatory system in the brain is ferritin. Ferritin consists of 24 subunits, which are distinguished as either a heavy-chain (H) or light-chain (L) isoform. These peptide subunits are genetically and functionally distinct. Thus, the ability to investigate separately the types of ferritin in brain should provide insight into iron management at both the cellular and the molecular level. In this study, the ratio of isoferritins was determined in select regions of adult elderly AD and PD human brains. The H-rich ferritin was more abundant in the young brain, except in the globus pallidus where the ratio of H/L ferritin was 1:1. The balance of H/L isoferritins was influenced by age, brain region, and disease state. With normal aging, both H and L ferritin increased; however, the age-associated increase in isoferritins generally failed to occur in AD and PD brain tissue. The imbalance in H/L isoferritins was disease and region specific. For example, in frontal cortex, there was a dramatic (fivefold) increase in the ratio of H/L ferritin in AD brains but not in PD brains. In PD, caudate and putamen H/L ratios were higher than in AD and the elderly control group. The analysis of isoferritin expression in brain provides insight into regional iron regulation under normal conditions and suggests a loss of ability to maintain iron homeostasis in the two disease states. This latter observation provides further evidence of dysfunction of iron homeostatic mechanisms in AD and PD and may contribute significantly to understanding the underlying pathogenesis of each, particularly in relation to iron-induced oxidative damage.     

The iron content of human liver and spleen isoferritins correlates with their isoelectric point and subunit composition.

The six isoferritins in normal human liver and spleen with pIs between 5.7 and 5.2 were fractionated according to iron content by sucrose density gradient centrifugation. The pIs and subunit composition of the isoferritins in fractions from the gradients were determined by gel electrofocussing and electrophoresis in acid/urea polyacrylamide gels respectively. Fractions with the lowest iron content contained the two basic isoferritins, which were homopolymers of the L subunit and had pIs of 5.7 and 5.6. Increasing iron content correlated with decreasing isoelectric point and an increasing substitution of the H subunit in the isoferritin shell. The two isoferritins with highest iron content consisted of 92% and 8% respectively of the L and H subunits and had pIs of 5.3 and 5.2.     

Enhancement of DNA polymerase II activity in E. coli after treatment with N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine.

The G₁(G₀) arrest induced in NRK cells by picolinic acid was preceded by marked changes in iron metabolism. In contrast, picolinic acid did not significantly prevent zinc uptake and changes in intracellular zinc were small and clearly preceded by changes in iron. A kinetic study revealed that iron uptake by NRK cells was rapidly halted by picolinic acid. Experiments with radioiron-labeled cells indicated that picolinic acid, in a dose dependent manner, effectively removed iron from the cells. The dose of picolinic acid that exactly removed iron from the cells was also the concentration that induced the G₁(G₀) arrest. Picolinic acid, therefore, may induce the growth inhibition by selectively withholding iron from the cells. These data strongly suggest that iron availability may be a controlling factor in the initiation of DNA synthesis in NRK cells.     

Multiple isoferritins in mouse liver: demonstration by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis

Unfractionated pure ferritin isolated from the livers of female or male mice forms five narrow protein-positive bands on standard 5% polyacrylamide gel disc electrophoresis (pH 9.0). Since all of these sub-bands also contain iron, they are interpreted as being isoferritins. The multiple sub-bands are very unlikely to be artifactually generated by the analytical procedure used since they are not found in horse spleen ferritin when this is coelectrophoresed with female mouse liver ferritin. The present results provide an independnet indication that many isoferritins indeed can be found within a single organ.     

Thyroid hormone differentially augments biliary sterol secretion in the rat. II. The chronic bile fistula model.

To further define thyroid hormone effects on bile acid synthesis and biliary lipid secretion, studies were done in chronic bile fistula rats. Euthyroid and methimazole-hypothyroid rats, with and without triiodothyronine (T3) injection, had total bile diversion for timed bile collections. With interrupted enterohepatic circulation, cholesterol absorption is negligible and bile acid secretion equals bile acid synthesis rate. Hypothyroid rats had diminished levels of bile acid synthesis and biliary secretion of cholesterol and phospholipid. Single dose T3 injection produced a 13-fold increase in bile cholesterol secretion and a 3-fold increase in phospholipid secretion, both initiated 12 h after T3. Bile acid synthesis increased by 50%, but the increase did not begin until 24 h after T3. Neither hypothyroidism nor T3 treatment abolished diurnal rhythms of bile acid synthesis and biliary lipid secretion. Inhibition of cholesterol synthesis with lovastatin resulted in a persistent 33% decrease in bile acid synthesis in euthyroid and hypothyroid rats, while bile cholesterol secretion only transiently decreased. Inhibition of cholesterol synthesis did not alter T3-induced bile cholesterol secretion, with a 10-fold increase seen. However, bile acid synthesis was not stimulated by T3 in the presence of lovastatin. We conclude that facilitated bile acid synthesis and biliary cholesterol secretion are early effects of T3 and may account for the hypocholesterolemia of T3. Cholesterol synthesis does not appear to be required for the T3-induced bile cholesterol secretion.     

Translational regulation of ferritin synthesis in rat liver. Effects of chronic dietary iron overload.

In rats with chronic dietary iron overload, a higher amount of liver ferritin L-subunit mRNA was found mainly engaged on polysomes, whereas in control rats ferritin L-subunit mRNA molecules were largely stored in ribonucleoprotein particles. On the other hand, ferritin H-subunit mRNA was unchanged by chronic iron load and remained in the inactive cytoplasmic pool. In agreement with previous reports, in rats acutely treated with parenteral iron, only the ferritin L-subunit mRNA increased in amount, whereas both ferritin subunit mRNAs shifted to polysomes. This may indicate that, whereas in acute iron overload the hepatocyte operates a translation shift of both ferritin mRNAs to confront rapidly the abrupt entry of iron into the cell, during chronic iron overload it responds to the slow iron influx by translating a greater amount of L-subunit mRNA to synthesize isoferritins more suitable for long-term iron storage.     

The induction of ferritin synthesis in circulating larval red blood cells.

The circulating red blood cells formed in bullfrog larvae, chicken embryos, and mouse embryos contain large amounts of ferritin and storage iron in excess of the need for hemoglobin. In contrast, the circulating red cells of adult animals contain little ferritin. Ferritin synthesis and iron storage are coordinated with differentiation and hemoglobin synthesis in the red cells of adults. In order to test the hypothesis that ferritin synthesis could be controlled independently of hemoglobin synthesis and differentiation in the red cells formed early in life, bullfrog larvae were injected with iron to determine if ferritin synthesis was increased in the circulating red cells. Within 17 h after the injection of iron, the synthesis of ferritin, assayed as the incorporation of [14C]leucine by cell suspensions prepared from circulating red cells, was increased from 2.9 to 10.2% of the total protein, and the specific activity of the ferritin synthesized increased from 1100 to 3000 cpm/A280. There was no change in the hematocrit of the animals nor in the specific activity of hemoglobin synthesized by suspensions of red cells (average, 720 cpm/A280). The results suggest that in mature, larval red cells, ferritin synthesis can be controlled by changes in the extracellular environment. The results also indicate that ferritin synthesis can be controlled independently of hemoglobin synthesis with which it is coordinated during erythroid differentiation in adult animals.     

A biochemical comparison of normal human liver and hepatocellular carcinoma ferritins.

1. The iron contents, gel migration rates and isoelectric-focusing patterns of normal liver and hepatocellular carcinoma ferritins from the same patients were compared. 2. Sucrose-density-gradient centrifugation showed that the number of iron atoms per ferritin molecule was decreased to approximately half in carcinoma tissue when compared with normal liver. 3. On electrophoresis, hepatocellular carcinoma ferritin migrates faster and is therefore more negatively charged than normal liver ferritin, thus refuting the general view that the more negatively charged a ferritin molecule the greater its iron content. 4. Comparison of tumour and normal liver ferritin subunit compositions on acid/urea/polyacrylamide gels showed hepatocellular carcinoma ferritin to contain an additional, more negatively charged, subunit to normal liver ferritin. 5. Isoelectric focusing showed that hepatocellular carcinoma tissue contains isoferritins with isoelectric points intermediate between the ranges of normal liver and normal heart isoferritins.     

Aminoacetone induces loss of ferritin ferroxidase and iron uptake activities

Aminoacetone (AA) is a threonine and glycine metabolite overproduced and recently implicated as a contributing source of methylglyoxal (MG) in conditions of ketosis. Oxidation of AA to MG, NH4+, and H

2

O

2

has been reported to be catalyzed by a copper-dependent semicarbazide sensitive amine oxidase (SSAO) as well as by copper- and iron ion-catalyzed reactions with oxygen. We previously demonstrated that AA-generated O2•al (AA

•

) induce dose-dependent Fe(II) release from horse spleen ferritin (HoSF); no reaction occurs under nitrogen. In the present study we further explored the mechanism of iron release and the effect of AA on the ferritin apoprotein. Iron chelators such as EDTA, ATP and citrate, and phosphate accelerated AA-promoted iron release from HoSF, which was faster in horse spleen isoferritins containing larger amounts of phosphate in the core. Incubation of apoferritin with AA (2.5-50 mM, after 6 h) changes the apoprotein electrophoretic behavior, suggesting a structural modification of the apoprotein by AA-generated ROS. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) was able to partially protect apoferritin from structural modification whereas catalase, ethanol, and mannitol were ineffective in protection. Incubation of apoferritin with AA (1-10 mM) produced a dose-dependent decrease in tryptophan fluorescence (13-30%, after 5 h), and a partial depletion of protein thiols (29% after 24 h). The AA promoted damage to apoferritin produced a 40% decrease in apoprotein ferroxidase activity and an 80% decrease in its iron uptake ability. The current findings of changes in ferritin and apoferritin may contribute to intracellular iron-induced oxidative stress during AA formation in ketosis and diabetes mellitus.     

Derepression of hepatocyte proliferation with changes in the functional state of the reticuloendothelial system

Experiments on rats and mice were performed to study the effects of different substances modifying RES functions on hepatocyte proliferation. It was shown that as early as 24 hours after Kupffer cell (KC) overloading with colloidal iron particles the number of hepatocytes in mitosis increased. The mitotic rate increased by 32 h and decreased between 48 and 72 h following iron injection. Forty-eight h after injection of latex particles the hepatocyte mitotic peak could be identified. Twenty-four and 48 h after zymozan injection DNA synthesis in sinusoidal liver cells correspondingly increased. Hepatocytes in mitosis appeared 5 days later, reaching the peak value after 9 days followed by a decrease 12 days after zymozan injection. The depression of the hepatocyte mitotic rate was also observed 9 days after BCG and 15 days after prodigiozan injection. The data are suggestive of the importance of KC as potential inducers of hepatocyte proliferation.     

Effect of acute administration of mercuric chloride on the disposition of copper, zinc, and iron in the rat

The present study was designed to investigate the effect of mercuric chloride administration on copper, zinc, and iron concentrations in the liver, kidney, lung, heart, spleen, and muscle of rats. The results showed that after dose and time exposure to mercuric chloride, the concentration of mercury in the six tissues was significantly elevated. Data showed that there were no interaction between mercury and tissue iron. There was a considerable elevation of the content of copper in the kidney and liver. The most significant changes in the copper concentration took place in the kidneys. About a twofold increase in the copper content of the kidney was noted after exposure to mercuric chloride (3 mg and 5 mg/kg). Only slight elevations in the copper content occurred in the liver, especially in high dose and longer exposure time. In the remaining organs, the copper content was not changed significantly (p>0.05). The most significant changes in the zinc concentration took place in liver, kidney, lung, and heart (5 mg/kg). Marked changes in kidney zinc concentrations were observed at any of the specified doses. Zinc concentrations were significantly increased in kidney of rats sacrificed 9–48 h after sc injection of HgCl₂ (5 mg/kg); in liver obtained from rats at 18, 24, or 48 h after injection; and in lung after 24 or 48 h of treatment. The heart and spleen zinc concentrations were elevated at 24 and 48 h after injection of HgCl₂ (5 mg/kg), respectively. The results of this study implicate that effects on copper and zinc concentrations of the target tissues of mercury may play an important role in the pathogenesis of acute mercuric chloride intoxication.     

Effect of recombinant human tumour necrosis factor alpha on protein synthesis in liver, skeletal muscle and skin of rats.

Bacterial endotoxins cause enhanced protein metabolism in liver, and protein catabolism in muscle and skin. These effects may be mediated by cytokines such as interleukin 1 (IL1) and tumour necrosis factor (TNF). The study investigates the timing and magnitude of effects of recombinant human TNF alpha on protein synthesis and protein and RNA content of the liver, tibialis muscle and skin of Wistar rats. Intravenous doses of 30 and 300 micrograms/kg of body weight were used and effects examined 8 h and 24 h after injection. Muscle protein content and synthetic rate were reduced at 8 h post-injection by over 18% and 20% respectively. Protein synthesis returned to normal after the lowest dose but remained depressed 24 h after the highest dose due to the accompanying anorexia. Opposite effects were observed in liver. Protein fractional synthetic rate (FSR) was increased by over 26% at 8 h post-injection and remained elevated 24 h after the higher but not lower dose of TNF. Total protein and RNA contents were significantly higher than controls at this time. Skin protein synthesis was unaffected by TNF; however an increase in protein and RNA content was observed at 8 h post-injection with the lower dose of TNF. Liver and muscle respond in a similar but more rapid way to TNF than to endotoxin. The response of skin is however totally different. While muscle may contribute amino acids for enhanced hepatic protein synthesis following exposure to TNF, skin does not.     

A Novel Approach for the Synthesis of Human Heteropolymer Ferritins of Different H to L Subunit Ratios

Mammalian ferritins are predominantly heteropolymeric species consisting of 24 structurally similar, but functionally different subunit types, named H and L, that co-assemble in different proportions. Despite their discovery more than 8 decades ago, recombinant human heteropolymer ferritins have never been synthesized, owing to the lack of a good expression system. Here, we describe for the first time a unique approach that uses a novel plasmid design that enables the synthesis of these complex ferritin nanostructures. Our study reveals an original system that can be easily tuned by altering the concentrations of two inducers, allowing the synthesis of a full spectrum of heteropolymer ferritins, from H-rich to L-rich ferritins and any combinations in-between (isoferritins). The H to L subunit composition of purified ferritin heteropolymers was analyzed by SDS-PAGE and capillary gel electrophoresis, and their iron handling properties characterized by light absorption spectroscopy. Our novel approach allows future investigations of the structural and functional differences of isoferritin populations, which remain largely obscure. This is particularly exciting since a change in the ferritin H- to L-subunit ratio could potentially lead to new iron core morphologies for various applications in bio-nanotechnologies.     

Immunoreactivity of hypothalamic orexin neurons and expression level of preproorexin gene in them after lipopolysaccharide injection

Hypothalamic orexin neurons are involved in the regulation of many physiological functions. The immunoreactivity of these neurons is shown to be altered after LPS injection. This phenomenon is characterized by definite time-space pattern and depends on dose of antigen applied. The expression level ofpreproorexin gene in rat hypothalamus was investigated in 2, 4 and 6 hours after injection of 25 and 500 mkg/kg b. w. LPS. Both injections of higher and lower doses resulted in the increase of expression level of preproorexin gene after 2 hours that could suggest an enhancement of orexin synthesis in neurons. There were no significant changes in 4 and 6 hours after injection. The comparative analysis of the data obtained earlier with immunohistochemistry, and the data shown in the present study suggest the mechanisms of orexin neurons reaction to injection of LPS in different doses, i. e. the more considerable prevalence of orexin utilization over its synthesis in hypothalamic cells after injection of subseptic (500 mkg/kg) dose of LPS.     

Aluminium toxicity and iron homeostasis.

In an animal model of aluminum overload, (aluminium gluconate), the increases in tissue aluminium content were paralleled by elevations of tissue iron in the kidney, liver heart and spleen as well as in various brain regions, frontal, temporal and parietal cortex and hippocampus. Despite such increases in iron content there were no significant changes in the activities of a wide range of cytoprotective enzymes apart from an increase in superoxide dismutase in the frontal cortex of the aluminium loaded rats. Such increases in tissue iron content may be attributed to the stabilisation of IRP-2 by aluminium thereby promoting transferrin receptor synthesis while blocking ferritin synthesis. Using the radioactive tracer (26)Al less than 1% of the injected dose was recovered in isolated ferritin, supporting previous studies which also found little evidence for aluminium storage within ferritin. The increases in brain iron may well be contributory to neurodegeneration, although the pathogenesis by which iron exerts such an effect is unclear.     

Effective chelation of iron in beta thalassaemia with the oral chelator 1,2-dimethyl-3-hydroxypyrid-4-one.

The main iron chelator used for transfusional iron overload is desferrioxamine, which is expensive, has toxic side effects, and has to be given subcutaneously. An orally active iron chelator is therefore required. The effects of oral 1,2-dimethyl-3-hydroxypyrid-4-one on urinary iron excretion were studied in eight patients who had received multiple transfusions: four had myelodysplasia and four beta thalassaemia major. Different daily doses of the drug up to 100 mg/kg/day, alone or in combination with ascorbic acid, were used. In three patients with thalassaemia the effect of the drug was compared with that of subcutaneous desferrioxamine at the same daily dose. In all eight patients a single dose of oral 1,2-dimethyl-3-hydroxypyrid-4-one resulted in substantial urinary iron excretion, mainly in the first 12 hours. Urinary iron excretion increased with the dose and with the degree of iron loading of the patient. Giving two or three divided doses over 24 hours resulted in higher urinary iron excretion than a single dose of the same amount over the same time. In most patients coadministration of oral ascorbic acid further increased urinary iron excretion. 1,2-Dimethyl-3-hydroxypyrid-4-one caused similar iron excretion to that achieved with subcutaneous desferrioxamine at a comparable dose. In some cases the iron excretion was sufficiently high (maximum 99 mg/day) to suggest that a negative iron balance could be easily achieved with these protocols in patients receiving regular transfusions. No evidence of toxicity was observed on thorough clinical examination or haematological and biochemical testing in any of the patients. None of the patients had any symptoms that could be ascribed to the drug. These results suggest that the oral chelator 1,2-dimethyl-3-hydroxypyrid-4-one is as effective as subcutaneous desferrioxamine in increasing urinary iron excretion in patients loaded with iron. Its cheap synthesis, oral activity, and lack of obvious toxicity at effective doses suggest that it should be developed quickly and thoroughly tested for the management of transfusional iron overload.