Orchestration of Iron Homeostasis

The characterization of newly identified genes has led investigators to challenge previous models of the regulation of iron homeostasis in health and its dysregulation in disease. Drs. Robert Fleming and Bruce Bacon describe hepcidin and iron homeostasis. The number of newly identified genes participating in the regulation of iron homeostasis has increased at a remarkable pace. The characterization of these genes has led investigators to challenge previous models of the regulation of iron homeostasis in health and its dysregulation in disease. There is now substantial evidence that the liver plays a central role in determining how much iron is absorbed from the gut and in influencing the release of iron from sites of storage. The discovery of the iron regulatory hormone hepcidin has provided a cohesive theory to explain the pathophysiology of such common disorders as hereditary . . .