Basic Understanding of Iron Metabolism / 임상소아혈액종양

ABSTRACT

Iron is critical for almost all living organisms because it serves as a cofactor for many proteins and enzymes necessary for oxygen and energy metabolism. Disruption of iron homeostasis is associated with a wide range of diseases. Thus mammals have developed sophisticated mechanisms to maintain optimal range of iron concentration. Iron regulation involves processes at the systemic and cellular levels. These processes are regulated by hepcidin and iron regulatory proteins. Hepcidin modulates systemic iron homeostasis with ability to impede cellular iron export via interaction with the iron export protein, ferroportin. Whereas, iron regulatory proteins control cellular iron homeostasis by translational regulation of proteins which involve iron metabolism. Recent advances in the study of iron metabolism have shown promising results that hepcidin-targeted strategies may help to improve the diagnosis and treatment of iron related diseases. Although these strategies are now under development, ongoing studies can help to elucidate its application possibilities.