Structural characterization of encapsulated ferritin provides insight into iron storage in bacterial nanocompartments

Iron is essential for life as it is a key component of many different enzymes that participate in processes such as energy production and metabolism. However, iron can also be highly toxic to cells because it readily reacts with oxygen. This reaction can damage DNA, proteins and the membranes that surround cells. To balance the cell’s need for iron against its potential damaging effects, organisms have evolved iron storage proteins known as ferritins that form cage-like structures. The ferritins convert iron into a less reactive form that is mineralised and safely stored in the central cavity of the ferritin cage and is available for cells when they need it. Recently, a new family of ferritins known as encapsulated ferritins have been found in some microorganisms. These ferritins are found in bacterial genomes with a gene that codes for a protein cage called an encapsulin. Although the structure of the encapsulin cage is known to look like the shell of a virus, the structure that the encapsulated ferritin itself forms is not known. It is also not clear how encapsulin and the encapsulated ferritin work together to store iron. He et al. have now used the techniques of X-ray crystallography and mass spectrometry to determine the structure of the encapsulated ferritin found in some bacteria. The encapsulated ferritin forms a ring-shaped doughnut in which ten subunits of ferritin are arranged in a ring; this is totally different from the enclosed cages that other ferritins form. Biochemical studies revealed that the encapsulated ferritin is able to convert iron into a less reactive form, but it cannot store iron on its own since it does not form a cage. Thus, the encapsulated ferritin needs to be housed within the encapsulin cage to store iron. Further work is needed to investigate how iron moves into the encapsulin cage to reach the ferritin proteins. Some organisms have both standard ferritin cages and encapsulated ferritins; why this is the case also remains to be discovered.