Ferritin is regulated by a neuro-intestinal axis in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans.

ABSTRACT: Iron is vital for the life of most organisms. However, when dysregulated, iron can catalyze the formation of oxygen (O₂) radicals that can destroy any biological molecule and thus lead to oxidative injury and death. Therefore, iron metabolism must be tightly regulated at all times, as well as coordinated with the metabolism of O₂. However, how is this achieved at the whole animal level is not well understood. Here, we explore this question using the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Exposure of worms to O₂ starvation conditions (i.e. hypoxia) induces a major upregulation in levels of the conserved iron-cage protein ferritin 1 (ftn-1) in the intestine, while exposure to 21% O₂ decreases ftn-1 level. This O₂-dependent inhibition is mediat

SUBMITTER: Romero-Afrima L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6920132 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature