A CLEVER molecule that regulates lymphoctye trafficking

Johnson and Enns.Although iron loading in mice or humans increases their hepatic hepcidin production, isolated human or mouse hepatocytes, or hepatocyte cell lines, do not increase their hepcidin synthesis when treated with holotransferrin or other forms of iron.This suggests that another cell type or its product may be required to complete the circuitry.In the last few years, the field of iron metabolism has been reinvigorated by the identification of the principal molecules involved in its regulation. 2 Elucidating how these molecules function individually and how they interact with each other is likely to provide much excitement for years to come.■