title: Iron homeostasis in host defence and inflammation.
abstract: Iron is an essential trace element for multicellular organisms and nearly all microorganisms. Although iron is abundant in the environment, common forms of iron are minimally soluble and therefore poorly accessible to biological organisms. Microorganisms entering a mammalian host face multiple mechanisms that further restrict their ability to obtain iron and thereby limit their pathogenicity. Iron levels also modulate host defence, as iron content in macrophages regulates their cytokine production. Here, we review recent advances that highlight the role of systemic and cellular iron-regulating mechanisms in protecting hosts from infection, emphasizing aspects that are applicable to human health and disease.
authors.affiliation: 1] Department of Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California. [2] Department of Pathology, David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095-1690, USA.
authors.forename: Tomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ganz
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California.
authors.forename: Elizabeta
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Nemeth
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D016207:Cytokines / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006706:Homeostasis / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007113:Immunity, Innate; D007249:Inflammation / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D007501:Iron / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D033862:Iron-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D035925:Iron-Regulatory Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D008264:Macrophages / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D019159:Nonheme Iron Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D015398:Signal Transduction
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D033862:Iron-Binding Proteins; D035925:Iron-Regulatory Proteins; D019159:Nonheme Iron Proteins; D007501:Iron