Drosophila frataxin: an iron chaperone during cellular Fe-S cluster bioassembly.

ABSTRACT: Frataxin, a mitochondrial protein that is directly involved in regulating cellular iron homeostasis, has been suggested to serve as an iron chaperone during cellular Fe-S cluster biosynthesis. In humans, decreased amounts or impaired function of frataxin causes the autosomal recessive neurodegenerative disorder Friedreich's ataxia. Cellular production of Fe-S clusters is accomplished by the Fe cofactor assembly platform enzymes Isu (eukaryotes) and IscU (prokaryotes). In this report, we have characterized the overall stability and iron binding properties of the Drosophila frataxin homologue (Dfh). Dfh is highly folded with secondary structural elements consistent with the structurally characterized frataxin orthologs. While the melting temperature ( T M approximately 59 degrees C) and chem

SUBMITTER: Kondapalli KC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2664653 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature