The Molecular Biology of Human Iron Metabolism
نویسنده :
تاریخ انتشار : 1396/05/08
Iron is one of the most important nonorganic substances that make life
possible. Iron plays major roles in oxygen transport (eg, hemoglobin;
~67% of total body iron [TBI]), short-term oxygen storage (eg,
myoglobin; ~3.5% of TBI), and energy generation (eg, cytochromes;
~3% of TBI).1
Iron also serves vital roles in various nonheme-containing
enzymes (~2% of TBI). Figure 1 lists heme-containing and nonheme
iron–containing proteins. TBI is controlled by the rate of iron absorption;
there are no physiologic mechanisms to excrete excess iron.
Iron deficiency has many adverse consequences, including anemia,
and in children, behavioral and learning disorders.2-4 Iron excess
is toxic to the body, harming the heart, liver, skin, pancreatic islet
beta cells, bones, joints, and pituitary gland. Maintaining proper iron
balance is essential for maintaining homeostasis and health.
TBI in adults normally ranges between 3.5 and 5.0 g.5
A total of
75% of TBI is functional, and 25% is stored within cells as ferritin or
hemosiderin. Ferritin contains 24 subunits of light chains (L chains; 19.7
kDa) and heavy chains (H chains; 21.1 kDa). The L chains are encoded
on chromosome 19q13.33 and are 175 amino acids long. The H chains
are encoded on chromosome 11q1 and are 183 amino acids long. Each
ferritin molecule can contain as many as approximately 4500 ferric ions.
Because the major role of iron is in hemoglobin synthesis, this review
will focus on iron, iron transport, and hematopoiesis.