Molecular Biology Commons^™

Transcriptional And Post-Transcriptional Regulation Of Hepcidin And Iron Metabolism By Lipid Signaling In The Liver, Sizhao Lu

Theses & Dissertations

Although iron is required for essential biological processes, excess iron is detrimental due to oxidative damage induced by iron-mediated Fenton reactions, which promote tissue injury. Cellular iron uptake, transport and storage must therefore be tightly regulated. This task is accomplished mainly through hepcidin, the key iron-regulatory hormone. Hepcidin is synthesized primarily in hepatocytes as a circulatory antimicrobial peptide. It controls iron metabolism by inhibiting iron absorption from the duodenum and iron release from reticuloendothelial macrophages. Besides synthesizing hepcidin, the liver plays an important role in maintaining iron homeostasis by serving as the main storage organ for excess iron. Patients with …