Mascotti D P, Rup D, Thach R E
Department of Biology, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri 63130, USA.
Annu Rev Nutr. 1995;15:239-61. doi: 10.1146/annurev.nu.15.070195.001323.
Recent advances in the knowledge of iron metabolism underscore its complex relationship to overall cell metabolism. One of the key components of the iron uptake and storage pathway is ferritin, a protein that sequesters iron in a nontoxic form. Ferritin synthesis is translationally regulated by iron. Molecules such as nitric oxide and cytokines also affect transcriptional and/or posttranscriptional ferritin synthesis. Conversely, iron-containing molecules affect expression of mitochondrial aconitase, erythroid aminolevulinic acid synthase, and nitric oxide synthase. This observation indicates a complex linkage between iron metabolism and a variety of other important cell activities. The finding that the cytoplasmic iron-responsive protein (IRP) has two forms also raises intriguing questions about the relationship between the cytoplasmic aconitase and translational regulation of mRNAs such as ferritin. At least one of the IRPs can be phosphorylated. These recent discoveries open exciting new avenues for research that should lead to a better understanding of cellular iron metabolism.
铁代谢知识的最新进展突显了其与整体细胞代谢的复杂关系。铁摄取和储存途径的关键成分之一是铁蛋白，一种以无毒形式螯合铁的蛋白质。铁蛋白的合成受铁的翻译调控。一氧化氮和细胞因子等分子也会影响铁蛋白合成的转录和/或转录后过程。相反，含铁分子会影响线粒体乌头酸酶、红细胞δ-氨基乙酰丙酸合成酶和一氧化氮合酶的表达。这一观察结果表明铁代谢与多种其他重要细胞活动之间存在复杂的联系。细胞质铁反应蛋白（IRP）有两种形式这一发现，也引发了关于细胞质乌头酸酶与铁蛋白等mRNA翻译调控之间关系的有趣问题。至少有一种IRP可以被磷酸化。这些最新发现为研究开辟了令人兴奋的新途径，有望带来对细胞铁代谢的更好理解。
