Role of iron and ferritin in TNFα‐induced apoptosis in HeLa cells

Abstract
We found that tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα)‐induced apoptosis in HeLa cells was accompanied by a ∼2‐fold increase in H‐ and L‐ferritin and a decrease in transferrin receptor, two indices of increased iron availability. Iron supplementation and overexpression of H‐ferritin or its mutant with an inactivated ferroxidase center reduced by about ∼50% the number of apoptotic cells after TNFα‐treatment, while overexpression of L‐ferritin was ineffective. The data indicate that H‐ferritin has an anti‐apoptotic activity unrelated to its ferroxidase activity and to its capacity to modify cellular iron metabolism.

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