Ferritin genes are highly conserved between species. All vertebrate ferritin genes have three introns and four exons. In human ferritin, introns are present between amino acid residues 14 and 15, 34 and 35, and 82 and 83; in addition, there are one to two hundred untranslated bases at either end of the combined exons. The tyrosine residue at amino acid position 27 is thought to be associated with biomineralization.