Regulation of Intestinal Iron Absorption: The Mucosa Takes Control?

Two studies (Shah et al., 2009 and Mastrogiannaki et al., 2009) show that the hypoxia inducible factor HIF-2α is a major player in regulating iron absorption by directly controlling the transcription of iron transporters in the intestine in response to changes in mucosal iron or oxygen levels. The HIF-2α mechanism has major effects on iron metabolism which can override the well-known hepcidin-ferroportin regulatory axis.