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Hu J, Sha X, Li Y, Wu J, Ma J, Zhang Y, Yang R. Multifaceted Applications of Ferritin Nanocages in Delivering Metal Ions, Bioactive Compounds, and Enzymes: A Comprehensive Review. JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD CHEMISTRY 2023; 71:19903-19919. [PMID: 37955969 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.3c05510] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2023]
Abstract
Ferritin, a distinctive iron-storage protein, possesses a unique cage-like nanoscale structure that enables it to encapsulate and deliver a wide range of biomolecules. Recent advances prove that ferritin can serve as an efficient 8 nm diameter carrier for various bioinorganic nutrients, such as minerals, bioactive polyphenols, and enzymes. This review offers a comprehensive summary of ferritin's structural features from different sources and emphasizes its functions in iron supplementation, calcium delivery, single- and coencapsulation of polyphenols, and enzyme package. Additionally, the influence of innovative food processing technologies, including manothermosonication, pulsed electric field, and atmospheric cold plasma, on the structure and function of ferritin are examined. Furthermore, the limitations and prospects of ferritin in food and nutritional applications are discussed. The exploration of ferritin as a multifunctional protein with the capacity to load various biomolecules is crucial to fully harnessing its potential in food applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiangnan Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety, College of Food Science and Engineering, Tianjin University of Science & Technology, Tianjin 300457, China
| | - Xinmei Sha
- State Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety, College of Food Science and Engineering, Tianjin University of Science & Technology, Tianjin 300457, China
| | - Yue Li
- State Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety, College of Food Science and Engineering, Tianjin University of Science & Technology, Tianjin 300457, China
| | - Jincan Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety, College of Food Science and Engineering, Tianjin University of Science & Technology, Tianjin 300457, China
| | - Junrui Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety, College of Food Science and Engineering, Tianjin University of Science & Technology, Tianjin 300457, China
| | - Yuyu Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Geriatric Nutrition and Health (Beijing Technology and Business University), Ministry of Education, Beijing 100048, China
| | - Rui Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety, College of Food Science and Engineering, Tianjin University of Science & Technology, Tianjin 300457, China
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Srivastava AK, Scalcione LJ, Arosio P, Bou‐Abdallah F. Hyperthermostable recombinant human heteropolymer ferritin derived from a novel plasmid design. Protein Sci 2023; 32:e4543. [PMID: 36519270 PMCID: PMC9798250 DOI: 10.1002/pro.4543] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2022] [Revised: 11/17/2022] [Accepted: 12/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Mammalian ferritins are predominantly heteropolymeric species consisting of 2 structurally similar, but functionally and genetically distinct subunit types, called H (Heavy) and L (Light). The two subunits co-assemble in different H and L ratios to form 24-mer shell-like protein nanocages where thousands of iron atoms can be mineralized inside a hollow cavity. Here, we use differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) to study ferritin stability and understand how various combinations of H and L subunits confer aspects of protein structure-function relationships. Using a recently engineered plasmid design that enables the synthesis of complex ferritin nanostructures with specific H to L subunit ratios, we show that homopolymer L and heteropolymer L-rich ferritins have a remarkable hyperthermostability (Tm = 115 ± 1°C) compared to their H-ferritin homologues (Tm = 93 ± 1°C). Our data reveal a significant linear correlation between protein thermal stability and the number of L subunits present on the ferritin shell. A strong and unexpected iron-induced protein thermal destabilization effect (ΔTm up to 20°C) is observed. To our knowledge, this is the first report of recombinant human homo- and hetero-polymer ferritins that exhibit surprisingly high dissociation temperatures, the highest among all known ferritin species, including many known hyperthermophilic proteins and enzymes. This extreme thermostability of our L and L-rich ferritins may have great potential for biotechnological applications.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Paolo Arosio
- Department of Molecular & Translational MedicineUniversity of BresciaBresciaItaly
| | - Fadi Bou‐Abdallah
- Department of ChemistryState University of New YorkPotsdamNew YorkUSA
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Bacterioferritin nanocage: Structure, biological function, catalytic mechanism, self-assembly and potential applications. Biotechnol Adv 2022; 61:108057. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2022.108057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2022] [Revised: 10/24/2022] [Accepted: 10/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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Sudarev VV, Dolotova SM, Bukhalovich SM, Bazhenov SV, Ryzhykau YL, Uversky VN, Bondarev NA, Osipov SD, Mikhailov AE, Kuklina DD, Murugova TN, Manukhov IV, Rogachev AV, Gordeliy VI, Gushchin IY, Kuklin AI, Vlasov AV. Ferritin self-assembly, structure, function, and biotechnological applications. Int J Biol Macromol 2022; 224:319-343. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2022.10.126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2022] [Revised: 09/28/2022] [Accepted: 10/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
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Ferritin nanocage based delivery vehicles: From single-, co- to compartmentalized- encapsulation of bioactive or nutraceutical compounds. Biotechnol Adv 2022; 61:108037. [PMID: 36152892 DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2022.108037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2022] [Revised: 09/15/2022] [Accepted: 09/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Bioactive or nutraceutical ingredients have been widely used in pursuit of health and well-being. However, the environmental instability, poor solubility and bioavailability, and unspecific delivery highly limited their practical values. By virtue of the unique shell-like structure, definite disassembly/reassembly behavior, and excellent safety profile of ferritin protein, it stands out among of various nano-materials and is emerging as one of the most promising vehicles for the encapsulation and delivery of bioactive ingredients or drugs. In this review, we present a systematic overview of recent advances of ferritin-based delivery systems from single-encapsulation, co-encapsulation, to compartmentalized-encapsulation of bioactive ingredients or drugs. Different encapsulation strategies for cargo loading as well as their advantages and drawbacks have been critically reviewed. This study emphasized the importance of the construction of compartmentalized delivery systems through the usage of ferritin nanocages, which exhibit great potential for facilitating the synergistic functionality of different types of cargos. Lastly, the applications of ferritin nanocages for physicochemical improvements and functionality achievements of loaded cargos are summarized. In conclusion, ferritin protein nanocages not only are excellent nanocarriers, but also can act as"multi-seated" vehicles for co-encapsulation and compartmentalized encapsulation of different cargos simultaneously.
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Bradley JM, Gray E, Richardson J, Moore GR, Le Brun NE. Protein encapsulation within the internal cavity of a bacterioferritin. NANOSCALE 2022; 14:12322-12331. [PMID: 35969005 PMCID: PMC9439638 DOI: 10.1039/d2nr01780f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
The thermal and chemical stability of 24mer ferritins has led to attempts to exploit their naturally occurring nanoscale (8 nm) internal cavities for biotechnological applications. An area of increasing interest is the encapsulation of molecules either for medical or biocatalysis applications. Encapsulation requires ferritin dissociation, typically induced using high temperature or acidic conditions (pH ≥ 2), which generally precludes the inclusion of fragile cargo such as proteins or peptide fragments. Here we demonstrate that minimizing salt concentration combined with adjusting the pH to ≤8.5 (i.e. low proton/metal ion concentration) reversibly shifts the naturally occurring equilibrium between dimeric and 24meric assemblies of Escherichia coli bacterioferritin (Bfr) in favour of the disassembled form. Interconversion between the different oligomeric forms of Bfr is sufficiently slow under these conditions to allow the use of size exclusion chromatography to obtain wild type protein in the purely dimeric and 24meric forms. This control over association state was exploited to bind heme at natural sites that are not accessible in the assembled protein. The potential for biotechnological applications was demonstrated by the encapsulation of a small, acidic [3Fe-4S] cluster-containing ferredoxin within the Bfr internal cavity. The capture of ∼4-6 negatively charged ferredoxin molecules per cage indicates that charge complementarity with the inner protein surface is not an essential determinant of successful encapsulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin M Bradley
- Centre for Molecular and Structural Biochemistry, School of Chemistry, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, UK.
| | - Elizabeth Gray
- Centre for Molecular and Structural Biochemistry, School of Chemistry, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, UK.
| | - Jake Richardson
- Bioimaging Facility, John Innes Centre, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, UK
| | - Geoffrey R Moore
- Centre for Molecular and Structural Biochemistry, School of Chemistry, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, UK.
| | - Nick E Le Brun
- Centre for Molecular and Structural Biochemistry, School of Chemistry, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, UK.
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Zhang X, Zhang T, Wang Y, Liu Y, Zang J, Zhao G. Reversible structure transformation between protein nanocages and nanorods controlled by small molecules. Chem Commun (Camb) 2021; 57:12996-12999. [PMID: 34796885 DOI: 10.1039/d1cc04510e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Constructing different protein nanostructures by using identical building blocks, while realizing their structural transformation in response to external stimuli, remains a challenge. Here, we fabricated protein nanocages and nanorods by using dimeric TmFtn as a building block and reacting with Mg2+/(α, L-lysine) with polymerization degrees of 9 (PLL9) and 15 (PLL15), respectively. Notably, the reversible shape transformation of these two supramolecular protein architectures with different dimensions can be achievable in response to external stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaorong Zhang
- College of Food Science & Nutritional Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing Key Laboratory of Functional Food from Plant Resources, Beijing 100083, China.
| | - Tuo Zhang
- College of Food Science & Nutritional Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing Key Laboratory of Functional Food from Plant Resources, Beijing 100083, China.
| | - Yingjie Wang
- College of Food Science & Nutritional Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing Key Laboratory of Functional Food from Plant Resources, Beijing 100083, China.
| | - Yu Liu
- College of Food Science & Nutritional Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing Key Laboratory of Functional Food from Plant Resources, Beijing 100083, China.
| | - Jiachen Zang
- College of Food Science & Nutritional Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing Key Laboratory of Functional Food from Plant Resources, Beijing 100083, China.
| | - Guanghua Zhao
- College of Food Science & Nutritional Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing Key Laboratory of Functional Food from Plant Resources, Beijing 100083, China.
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