Description
Product Characteristics: Mammalian ferritins consist of 24 subunits made up of 2 types of polypeptide chains, ferritin heavy chain and ferritin light chain. Ferritin heavy chains catalyze the first step in iron storage, the oxidation of Fe (II), whereas ferritin light chains promote the nucleation of ferrihydrite, enabling storage of Fe (III). Light chain ferritin is involved in cataracts by at least two mechanisms, hereditary hyperferritinemia cataract syndrome, in which light chain ferritin is overexpressed, and oxidative stress, an important factor in the development of ageing-related cataracts.
Target Information: This gene encodes the light subunit of the ferritin protein. Ferritin is the major intracellular iron storage protein in prokaryotes and eukaryotes. It is composed of 24 subunits of the heavy and light ferritin chains. Variation in ferritin subunit composition may affect the rates of iron uptake and release in different tissues. A major function of ferritin is the storage of iron in a soluble and nontoxic state. Defects in this light chain ferritin gene are associated with several neurodegenerative diseases and hyperferritinemia-cataract syndrome. This gene has multiple pseudogenes. [provided by RefSeq, Jul 2008]