Review
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World J Biol Chem. May 26, 2014; 5(2): 204-215
Published online May 26, 2014. doi: 10.4331/wjbc.v5.i2.204
Ceruloplasmin-ferroportin system of iron traffic in vertebrates
Giovanni Musci, Fabio Polticelli, Maria Carmela Bonaccorsi di Patti
Giovanni Musci, Department of Biosciences and Territory, University of Molise, Pesche 86090, Italy
Fabio Polticelli, Department of Sciences, University Roma Tre, 00146 Rome, Italy
Fabio Polticelli, National Institute of Nuclear Physics, Roma Tre Section, 00146 Rome, Italy
Maria Carmela Bonaccorsi di Patti, Department of Biochemical Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
Author contributions: Musci G, Polticelli F and Bonaccorsi di Patti MC designed and performed research; Musci G and Bonaccorsi di Patti MC wrote the paper.
Correspondence to: Giovanni Musci, PhD, Department of Biosciences and Territory, University of Molise, C.da Fonte Lappone, 86090 Pesche, Italy. musci@unimol.it
Telephone: +39-874-404160 Fax: +39-874-404123
Received: December 5, 2013
Revised: January 15, 2014
Accepted: February 18, 2014
Published online: May 26, 2014
Core Tip

Core tip: The ceruloplasmin-ferroportin system represents the main pathway for cellular iron egress in vertebrates and it is responsible for physiological regulation of cellular iron levels. This review focuses on the structural and functional features of the two proteins, with special emphasis on their coordinate regulation at the transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels.