Ferritin from the haemolymph of adult ants: an extraction method for characterization and a ferromagnetic study

Ferritin has been studied in many animals, plants and bacteria. The main functions of ferritin in mammals are iron concentration and stabilization, protection against oxidants and iron storage for later developmental or iron-dependent activities. Although insect ferritin plays a key role in iron transport, only a few studies to date have examined its properties and function. Ferritin isolation from the haemolymph of adult Camponotus sericeiventris ants involved heating at 75 °C, followed by protein fractionation with 3.2 M KBr gradients and ferritin sedimentation with KBr. Protein identification was performed using high-resolution proteomics techniques. SDS-PAGE revealed three subunits with molecular weights (MW) of 26, 28 and 31 kDa. Native PAGE indicated a MW higher than 669 kDa. Proteomic analysis strongly suggested the 26 and 31 kDa bands as F2LCH and F1HCH subunits of ferritin, respectively. Ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) at 100 K showed, at low field, a characteristic broad component of the ferritin iron core, suggesting that its distribution was shifted to values greater than 3000, a higher content than in mammals. The protein yield and MW were comparable to those reported in other studies of insects. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on ferritin extracted from adult ants to date. These results are discussed on the basis of the protein structure–function relation of secreted insect and mammal ferritins. This purification method will allow the use of magnetic techniques, which are relevant for understanding the role of ferritin in the biomineralization of magnetic nanoparticles in insects.