Isolation of a ferritin from Bacteroides fragilis |
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Authors: | Edson R Rocha Simon C Andrews Jeffrey N Keen Jeremy H Brock |
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Institution: | University Department of Bacteriology and Immunology, Western Infirmary, Glasgow, UK. |
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Abstract: | A ferritin was isolated from the obligate anaerobe Bacteroides fragilis. Estimated molecular masses were 400 kDa for the holomer and 16.7 kDa for the subunits. A 30-residue N-terminal amino acid sequence was determined and found to resemble the sequences of other ferritins (human H-chain ferritin, 43% identity; Escherichia coli gen-165 product, 37% identity) and to a lesser degree, bacterioferritins (E. coli bacterioferritin, 20% identity). The protein stained positively for iron, and incorporated 59Fe when B. fragilis was grown in the presence of 59Fe]citrate. However, the isolated protein contained only about three iron atoms per molecule, and contained no detectable haem. This represents the first isolation of a ferritin protein from bacteria. It may alleviate iron toxicity in the presence of oxygen. |
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Keywords: | Bacteroides fragilis Ferritin Iron storage Anaerobic bacteria |
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