Regulation of transferrin receptor expression and control of cell growth.

Transferrin receptor expression is vital for the continuous growth of most cells. Although iron plays a key role in modulating transferrin receptor expression, other physiological factors are also capable of affecting receptor expression. In hematopoietic cells, these include interleukin-2, interleukin-6, calcium channels, cyclic nucleotides, phorbol esters and viruses. In this review, we will describe how these agents can alter transferrin receptor expression at the levels of transcription, translation and receptor re-cycling.