Background: Three functional ferritin genes have been identified so far in mammals, and they encode the cytosolic Heavy (FTH) and Light chain (FTL) and the mitochondrial ferritin. The expression of a transcript by a fourth ferritin-like gene (Ferritin-Heavy-Polypeptide-Like-17, FTHL17) on the X chromosome was reported in mouse spermatogonia and in early embryonic cells.
Methods: The intronless human FTHL17 gene encodes a protein with 64% identity to human FTH with substitution of key residues of the ferroxidase center. The gene was cloned into vectors for expression in Escherichia coli and mammalian cells, linked to a flag-tag.
Results: The recombinant FTHL17 from E. coli purified as an assembled 24-mer ferritin devoid of ferroxidase activity and with a reduced physical stability. When transiently expressed in mammalian cells the flag-FTHL17 assembled in ferritin shells that showed reduced stability to denaturants compared with flag H and L ferritins. Immunocytochemistry with anti-flag antibody decorated the nuclei of flag-FTHL17 transfected COS cells, but not those of the cells transfected with flag-FTH or flag-FTL.
Conclusions: We concluded that FTHL17 encodes a ferritin-like protein without ferroxidase activity. Its restricted embryonic expression and partial nuclear localization suggest that this novel ferritin type may have functions other than iron storage.
General significance: The work confirms the presence of a fourth functional human ferritin gene with properties distinct from the canonical cytosolic ones.
Keywords: Embryonic cell; Ferritin; Ferroxidase center; Protein stability.
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