Iron Storage in Bacteria
Abstract
Iron is an essential nutrient for nearly all organisms but presents problems of toxicity, poor solubility and low availability. These problems are alleviated through the use of iron-storage proteins. Bacteria possess two types of iron-storage protein, the haem-containing bacterioferritins and the haem-free ferritins. These proteins are widespread in bacteria, with at least 39 examples known so far in eubacteria and archaebacteria. The bacterioferritins and ferritins are distantly related but retain similar structural and functional properties. Both are composed of 24 identical or similar subunits (approximately 19 kDa) that form a roughly spherical protein (approximately 450 kDa, approximately 120 A diameter) containing a large hollow centre (approximately 80 A diameter). The hollow centre acts as an iron-storage cavity with the capacity to accommodate at least 2000 iron atoms in the form of a ferric-hydroxyphosphate core. Each subunit contains a four-helix bundle which carries the active site or ferroxidase centre of the protein. The ferroxidase centres endow ferrous-iron-oxidizing activity and are able to form a di-iron species that is an intermediate in the iron uptake, oxidation and core formation process. Bacterioferritins contain up to 12 protoporphyrin IX haem groups located at the two-fold interfaces between pairs of two-fold related subunits. The role of the haem is unknown, although it may be involved in mediating iron-core reduction and iron release. Some bacteriof…
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Stored iron pools are in the form of ferric-hydroxide and ferric-hydroxyphosphate complexes and can be monitored using Mössbauer spectroscopy.
“These stored iron pools are in the form of ferric-hydroxide and ferric-hydroxyphosphate complexes and can be monitored using Mössbauer spectroscopy.130,131”
From Metals in Motion: Understanding Labile Metal Pools in Bacteria (2025) · cites this paper as [131]
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- Authors
- Andrews, S. C.
- Affiliations
- University of Reading (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Andrews, Simon C.
- ORCID
- Andrews, Simon C.
- Venue
- Advances in Microbial Physiology
- Publisher
- Elsevier
- Published
- 1998
- Volume
- 40
- Pages
- 281-351
- ISSN
- 0065-2911 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W1589307419
- Cited by
- 353
- References
- 4
- Citations by year
- 2026: 6 · 2025: 9 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 15 · 2022: 13 · 2021: 16 · 2020: 13 · 2019: 8 · 2018: 9 · 2017: 10 · 2016: 10 · 2015: 13 · 2014: 16 · 2013: 19 · 2012: 17
- FWCI
- 32.75
- Type
- book chapter
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Advances in microbial physiology/Advances in Microbial Physiology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Hematology › Iron Metabolism and Disorders
- Physical Sciences › Energy › Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment › Metalloenzymes and iron-sulfur proteins
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Cell Biology › Hemoglobin structure and function
- Keywords
- iron storage, bacterioferritin, ferritin, iron storage protein, heme, [2Fe-2S] ferredoxin, iron starvation, iron accumulation, Campylobacter jejuni, Escherichia coli, protein structure, iron absorption, archaea, eubacteria
- MeSH terms
- Bacterial Proteins, Cytochrome b Group, Escherichia coli, Ferredoxins, Ferritins, Heme, Hemerythrin, Rubredoxins, Structure-Activity Relationship, Superoxide Dismutase, Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial, Campylobacter jejuni
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