Catalyzes the oxidation of ferrous iron(II) to ferric iron(III) and stores iron in a soluble, non-toxic, readily available form (, ). Important for iron homeostasis (, ). Iron is taken up in the ferrous form and deposited as ferric hydroxides after oxidation (, ).
Subcellular locations: Mitochondrion
Detected in testis and erythroleukemia. Expression is very low or not detectable in brain, colon, heart, kidney, liver, lung, muscle, placental, spleen and small intestine.