Hepcidin Regulation of Iron Transport

The discovery of hepcidin as a key regulator of iron homeostasis has advanced our current knowledge of this field. Liver-derived hepcidin peptide is secreted in response to iron and inflammation and interacts with the iron export protein ferroportin. This review summarizes recent advances discussed at the Symposium. A particular focus is on molecular interactions between hepcidin and ferroportin, the regulation of hepcidin expression by iron and inflammation, and emerging methods to measure serum hepcidin in human populations. J. Nutr. 138: 2284-2288, 2008.