Immunologic differences in human isoferritins: implications for immunologic quantitation of serum ferritin.

Immunologic differences in several tissue isoferritin populations have been investigated using antibodies developed in rabbits against human liver ferritin and in guinea pigs against HeLa cell ferritin. Our results indicate that the quantity of ferritin measured by radioimmunoassays is markedly affected by the isoferritin and subunit composition of the ferritin sample as well as by the nature of the antiferritin antibodies. Possible applications for the selective quantitation of different serum ferritin populations are discussed.