Formation of protein-coated iron minerals

Lewin, Allison, Moore, Geoffrey R. and Le Brun, Nick E. (2005) Formation of protein-coated iron minerals. Dalton Transactions (22). pp. 3597-3610. ISSN 1477-9226

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Abstract

The ability of iron to cycle between Fe2+ and Fe3+ forms has led to the evolution, in different forms, of several iron-containing protein cofactors that are essential for a wide variety of cellular processes, to the extent that virtually all cells require iron for survival and prosperity. The redox properties of iron, however, also mean that this metal is potentially highly toxic and this, coupled with the extreme insolubility of Fe 3+, presents the cell with the significant problem of how to maintain this essential metal in a safe and bioavailable form. This has been overcome through the evolution of proteins capable of reversibly storing iron in the form of a Fe3+ mineral. For several decades the ferritins have been synonymous with the function of iron storage. Within this family are subfamilies of mammalian, plant and bacterial ferritins which are all composed of 24 subunits assembled to form an essentially spherical protein with a central cavity in which the mineral is laid down. In the past few years it has become clear that other proteins, belonging to the family of DNA-binding proteins from starved cells (the Dps family), which are oligomers of 12 subunits, and to the frataxin family, which may contain up to 48 subunits, are also able to lay down a Fe3+ mineral core. Here we present an overview of the formation of protein-coated iron minerals, with particular emphasis on the structures of the protein coats and the mechanisms by which they promote core formation. We show on the one hand that significant mechanistic similarities exist between structurally dissimilar proteins, while on the other that relatively small structural differences between otherwise similar proteins result in quite dramatic mechanistic differences.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	inorganic chemistry ,/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/1600/1604
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Science > School of Biological Sciences Faculty of Science > School of Chemistry (former - to 2024)
UEA Research Groups:	Faculty of Science > Research Centres > Centre for Molecular and Structural Biochemistry Faculty of Science > Research Groups > Chemistry of Life Processes
Related URLs:	http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?...
Depositing User:	LivePure Connector
Date Deposited:	18 Jun 2025 08:30
Last Modified:	18 Jun 2025 08:30
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/99593
DOI:	10.1039/b506071k

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