Hentze M W, Rouault T A, Caughman S W, Dancis A, Harford J B, Klausner R D
Cell Biology and Metabolism Branch, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Bethesda, MD 20892.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1987 Oct;84(19):6730-4. doi: 10.1073/pnas.84.19.6730.
Ferritin plays a key role in determining the intracellular fate of iron and is highly regulated by the iron status of the cell. We have identified a cis-acting element in the transcribed but nontranslated 5' leader sequence of human ferritin heavy-chain mRNA. In transiently transfected murine fibroblasts, the presence of a 157-nucleotide region of the 5' leader sequence was found to be necessary for iron-dependent regulation of ferritin biosynthesis. Further, this 5' leader region is sufficient to transfer iron-mediated translational control to the expression of a heterologous gene product, chloramphenicol acetyltransferase.