title: [Current data on iron metabolism].
abstract: Iron is required for cellular life. However, abnormalities of its metabolism may lead to iron deficiency or iron overload, both conditions which are deleterious. Therefore, stock and distribution of iron in the body must be very stable. Classically, four major proteins are involved in iron metabolism: (a) transferrin which is implicated in its plasmatic transport, (b) transferrin receptor which regulates iron-transferrin uptake, (c) ferritin, the major iron storage protein, and (d) IRP (Iron Regulatory Protein) which regulates both the entry and storage of iron by linking to the IRE (Iron Responsive Element), a nucleotidic sequence found on transferrin receptor and ferritin mRNA. Thus, IRP adapts gene expression to the iron cellular status. Recent data give informations about new proteins involved in iron metabolism: HFE whose gene is mutated in genetic hemochromatosis, ceruloplasmin which permits cellular iron egress and frataxin which is implicated in the exit of iron from mitochondria.
authors.affiliation: Unité INSERM U522, Hôpital Pontchaillou, Rennes.
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Loréal
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pigeon
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zanninelli
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Turlin
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lescoat
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Deugnier
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Brissot
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005293:Ferritins / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007501:Iron / Q000378:metabolism*; D000090463:Iron Deficiencies; D019190:Iron Overload; D035925:Iron-Regulatory Proteins; D007506:Iron-Sulfur Proteins / Q000502:physiology; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins / Q000502:physiology; D011990:Receptors, Transferrin / Q000502:physiology; D014168:Transferrin / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D035925:Iron-Regulatory Proteins; D007506:Iron-Sulfur Proteins; D016601:RNA-Binding Proteins; D011990:Receptors, Transferrin; D014168:Transferrin; D005293:Ferritins; D007501:Iron