Binding of a Dy(III) complex to apoferritin inhibits iron mineralization

Apoferritin is a versatile platform for encapsulating a variety of materials, such as inorganic particles and metal complexes, in its nanocavity. However, loading apoferritin with rare earth metal complexes has been less studied, let alone investigating the binding effect of rare earth metal complexes on iron mineralization in apoferritin. In this work, a new cationic Dy(III) complex, [Dy(NO3)(H2O)(tmp)2](NO3)2 (tmp = trimethylolpropane), was synthesized and subsequently loaded in apoferritin. The binding of the Dy(III) complex to apoferritin inhibited iron mineralization, a plausible explanation being that the early recognition of Fe2+ at the ferroxidase sites was disrupted as a result of the binding of the Dy(III) complex.

Graphical abstractThis paper reports the synthesis of a new cationic Dy(III) complex, its binding to apoferritin and the remarkable iron mineralization inhibition effect as a result of this binding.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide