Iron uptake, utilization and storage in mice

全铁缺乏与生命不相容，而铁过量则具有危险的毒性。因此，哺乳动物体内的铁含量紧密地保持在平衡状态。铁的代谢受到调节，以便为身体需要提供足够的铁（几乎每个细胞，特别是红细胞），但同时通过安全储存在特殊分子中避免其毒性，因为游离铁可以参与自由基的形成。总的来说，我们的目标是了解细胞和生物体如何调节它们的铁含量，以及不同组织如何协调铁的分布以响应改变的铁稳态。我们建议揭示铁稳态的几个基本方面：细胞铁摄取，肠道铁吸收和脑铁代谢的调节。我们期望这项基础研究将对铁生物学和动物生理学领域做出重大贡献。由于铁代谢在哺乳动物中具有显著的相似性，并且铁对生物系统至关重要，因此通过研究小鼠铁代谢获得的知识很可能与更多的应用领域相关，例如人类健康和畜牧业。

Iron uptake, utilization and storage in mice Total iron deficiency is incompatible with life, whereas iron excess is dangerously toxic. Thus, body iron levels in mammals are tightly maintained in balance. Iron metabolism is regulated such that sufficient iron is provided for body needs (to virtually every cell and, in particular, red blood cells), but at the same time avoiding its toxicity through safe storage in specialized molecules, because free iron can participate in the formation of free radicals.   Overall, we aim to understand how cells and organisms regulate their iron content, and how distinct tissues coordinate iron distribution in response to altered iron homeostasis. We propose to unravel several essential aspects of iron homeostasis: the regulation of cellular iron uptake, intestinal iron absorption, and brain iron metabolism. We expect that this fundamental research will make significant contributions to the field of iron biology and animal physiology. Because iron metabolism shares remarkable similarities in mammals and iron is essential for biological systems, the knowledge gained by studying iron metabolism in mice may very well become pertinent to more applied fields, such as human health and animal husbandry.