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Keeping the Iron Balance
Ferritin is a fantastically beautiful protein, and essential to life
as we know it.
Early in the lives of cells, ferritin works to gather iron into its
hollow core, to release it later as the cells make new iron proteins
for respiration, photosynthesis, and other key processes. This
ancient nano-machine varies only slightly from
bacteria to humans.
This sculpture shows ferritin's backbone structure, laser etched in a
heavy crystal 2 1/2" square by 3" tall.
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Molecular Engineering
At any given moment 70% of your body's iron is in the blood's
hemoglobin, a few percent in the muscles as myoglobin, and the rest
safely stored in ferritin.
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Iron atoms enter the core through triangular pores at the cube's
corners, and there are also square pores on its sides whose function
isn't yet known. The central question of how ferritin
'knows' when to take up and release iron is still under study - an
elegant piece of molecular engineering.
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Data for this sculpture comes from the Protein Data Bank, where
the bullfrog ferritin protein is 1MFR. Dr. Elizabeth Theil, a
senior scientist at CHORI, elucidated its structure.
The Ferritin Crystal comes with clear rubber feet to avoid scratches on your desk or mantel. Without a stand, it works best against
a dark background.
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Deep Symmetry of Life
For anyone who loves life science, the Ferritin Crystal offers a look
into biomolecular structure: a research-quality model of an essential,
universal, and beautiful protein.
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White light stand - $21
Light up your molecule with this sleek
piano-finish stand. The LEDs are cool, long-lasting, bright by
day or night, and use little energy.
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