Hormone that controls supply of iron in red blood cell production discovered by researchers
Monday, June 2, 2014 - 03:03
in Health & Medicine
A new hormone called erythroferrone, which regulates the iron supply needed for red blood-cell production, has been discovered by researchers. Iron is an essential functional component of hemoglobin. Using a mouse model, researchers found that erythroferrone is made by red blood-cell progenitors in the bone marrow in order to match iron supply with the demands of red blood-cell production. Erythroferrone is greatly increased when red blood-cell production is stimulated, such as after bleeding or in response to anemia.