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Ferritin family proteins and their use in bionanotechnology

Lookup NU author(s): Dr Dawei He, Dr Jon Marles-WrightORCiD

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).


Abstract

Ferritin family proteins are found in all kingdoms of life and act to store iron within a protein cage and to protect the cell from oxidative damage caused by the Fenton reaction. The structural and biochemical features of the ferritins have been widely exploited in bionanotechnology applications: from the production of metal nanoparticles; as templates for semi-conductor production; and as scaffolds for vaccine design and drug delivery. In this review we first discuss the structural properties of the main ferritin family proteins, and describe how their organisation specifies their functions. Second, we describe materials science applications of ferritins that rely on their ability to sequester metal within their cavities. Finally, we explore the use of ferritin as a container for drug delivery and as a scaffold for the production of vaccines.


Publication metadata

Author(s): He D, Marles-Wright J

Publication type: Review

Publication status: Published

Journal: New Biotechnology

Year: 2015

Volume: 32

Issue: 6

Pages: 651–657

Print publication date: 25/12/2015

Online publication date: 05/01/2015

Acceptance date: 05/01/2015

ISSN (print): 1871-6784

ISSN (electronic): 1876-4347

URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.nbt.2014.12.006

DOI: 10.1016/j.nbt.2014.12.006

PubMed id: 25573765


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