Iron and Porphyrin Trafficking in Heme Biogenesis |
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| Authors: | Iman J Schultz Caiyong Chen Barry H Paw Iqbal Hamza |
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| Institution: | From the ‡Department of Medicine, Hematology Division, Brigham and Women''s Hospital, and the Hematology-Oncology Division, Department of Medicine, Children''s Hospital Boston, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115 and ;the §Departments of Animal and Avian Sciences and Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742 |
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| Abstract: | Iron is an essential element for diverse biological functions. In mammals, the majority of iron is enclosed within a single prosthetic group: heme. In metazoans, heme is synthesized via a highly conserved and coordinated pathway within the mitochondria. However, iron is acquired from the environment and subsequently assimilated into various cellular pathways, including heme synthesis. Both iron and heme are toxic but essential cofactors. How is iron transported from the extracellular milieu to the mitochondria? How are heme and heme intermediates coordinated with iron transport? Although recent studies have answered some questions, several pieces of this intriguing puzzle remain unsolved. |
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| Keywords: | Cell Metabolism Heme Iron Metabolism Trafficking Transport Metals |
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