Define Role of Iron in Controlling Gene Expression?

Iron metabolism is regulated by a complex co-ordinate mechanism. Recent evidence supports specific past-transcriptional mechanisms in the cytoplasm of vertebrate cells that directly affect the stability and. the translation of rn RNAs coding for central proteins in iron metabolism. Ferritin, the storage form of iron in the body, is expressed in all tissues and is abundant in the liver. The quantity of ferritin synthesized is directly proportional to the available cellular iron and reflects body iron stores. Its synthesis is controlled at the level of mRNA translation by a regulatory network.