Analysis of the biologic functions of H- and L-ferritins in HeLa cells by transfection with siRNAs and cDNAs: evidence for a proliferative role of L-ferritin

Abstract excerpt

We describe the use of small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) to down-regulate H- and L-ferritin levels in HeLa cells. siRNAs repressed H- and L-ferritin expression to about 20% to 25% of the background level in both stable and transient transfections. HeLa cells transfected with H- and L-ferritin cDNAs were analyzed in parallel to compare the effects of ferritin up- and down-regulation. We found that large...