0157624 - PAU-O 20033011 RIV GB eng J - Journal Article
Kopáček, Petr - Ždychová, J. - Yoshiga, T. - Weise, C. - Rudenko, Natalia - Law, J. H.
Molecular cloning, expression and isolation of ferritins from two tick species - Ornithodoros moubata and Ixodes ricinus.
Insect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Roč. 33, č. 1 (2003), s. 103-113. ISSN 0965-1748. E-ISSN 1879-0240
R&D Projects: GA ČR GA206/00/0266
Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z6022909; CEZ:MSM 123100003
Keywords : ferritin * iron metabolism * tick
Subject RIV: EB - Genetics ; Molecular Biology
Impact factor: 2.358, year: 2003

Genes encoding ferritins were isolated and cloned from cDNA libraries of hard tick Ixodes ricinus and soft tick Ornithodoros moubata. Both tick ferritins are composed of 172 amino-acid residues and their calculated mass is 19,667.2 Da and 19,974.5 Da for I. ricinus and O. moubata, respectively. The sequences of both proteins are closely related to each other as well as to the ferritin from another tick species Dermacentor variabilis (>84% similarity). The proteins contain the conserved motifs for ferroxidase center typical for heavy chains of vertebrate ferritins. In the native state, the tick ferritins are apparently larger (~500 kDa) than horse spleen ferritin (440 kDa). On SDS-PAGE tick ferritins migrate as a single band of about 21 kDa. These results suggest that tick ferritins are homo-oligomers of 24 identical subunits of heavy-chain type. The Northern blot analysis revealed that O. moubata ferritin mRNA level is likely not up-regulated after ingestion of a blood meal.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0055062