Laura Silvestri, Mariateresa Pettinato, Valeria Furiosi, Letizia Bavuso Volpe, Antonella Nai, Alessia Pagani
Because of its peculiar redox properties, iron is an essential element in living organisms, being involved in crucial biochemical processes such as oxygen transport, energy production, DNA metabolism, and many others. However, its propensity to accept or donate electrons makes it potentially highly toxic when present in excess and inadequately buffered, as it can generate reactive oxygen species. For this reason, several mechanisms evolved to prevent both iron overload and iron deficiency. At the cellular level, iron regulatory proteins, sensors of intracellular iron levels, and post-transcriptional modifications regulate the expression and translation of genes encoding proteins that modulate the uptake, storage, utilization, and export of iron...
February 16, 2023: International Journal of Molecular Sciences