Ferritin Function and Iron Homeostasis in Aquatic Organisms

Ferritin is a ubiquitous protein nanocage that sequesters excess iron and releases it in a controlled manner, thereby preventing oxidative damage while supplying essential iron for metabolic processes. In aquatic organisms, ferritin plays a central role in balancing iron uptake from the environment, intracellular distribution and storage, and mobilisation during periods of physiological demand such as growth, reproduction or immune challenge. Ferritin subunits assemble into 24-mer complexes, often comprising heavy-chain, light-chain or middle-chain isoforms in teleost fish, each contributing distinct ferroxidase activity or iron nucleation capacity. Coordination with iron transporters and regulators—such as transferrin, hepcidin and iron regulatory proteins—ensures systemic iron homeostasis and protects against both deficiency and toxicity. Environmental stressors (temperature shifts, hypoxia, pathogen exposure) provoke dynamic changes in ferritin expression, highlighting its role in acclimation and innate immunity. Through comparative studies across teleosts, molluscs and crustaceans, researchers have begun to unravel species-specific adaptations in ferritin regulation, including the emergence of multiple isoforms, epigenetic control and integration with stress-response pathways. Understanding ferritin function in aquatic systems has implications for aquaculture health management, conservation of wild stocks under pollution stress and the broader study of metal homeostasis in marine and freshwater ecosystems.

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Ferritin Function and Iron Homeostasis in Aquatic Organisms publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in ferritin function and iron homeostasis in aquatic organisms across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Ferritin: A hollow, spherical protein complex that stores iron in a soluble, non-toxic form and releases it when needed.

Iron homeostasis: The coordinated regulation of iron uptake, distribution, storage and excretion to maintain physiological iron levels.

Labile iron pool (LIP): The cytosolic fraction of readily exchangeable and redox-active iron that can participate in metabolic reactions or catalyse free radical formation.

Isoform: A variant of a protein that arises from gene duplication, alternative splicing or post-translational modification, often with distinct functional properties.

DNA methylation: The addition of methyl groups to cytosine bases in DNA, commonly at CpG dinucleotides, influencing gene expression by altering chromatin structure or transcription factor binding.

References

1. Sequence, Expression, and Anti-GCRV Function of the Ferritin from the Grass Carp, Ctenopharyngodon idellus. International Journal of Molecular Sciences (2022).
2. Chimeric Protein IPath® with Chelating Activity Improves Atlantic Salmon’s Immunity against Infectious Diseases. Vaccines (2021).
3. Cloning and Characterisation of Multiple Ferritin Isoforms in the Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar). PLOS ONE (2014).