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Regulatory Fe II/III Heme: The Reconstruction of a Molecule's Biography
Author(s) -
Kühl Toni,
Imhof Diana
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
chembiochem
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.05
H-Index - 126
eISSN - 1439-7633
pISSN - 1439-4227
DOI - 10.1002/cbic.201402218
Subject(s) - heme , effector , regulator , function (biology) , small molecule , chemistry , biochemistry , molecule , computational biology , biology , microbiology and biotechnology , gene , enzyme , organic chemistry
More than 20 years of research on heme as a temporary effector molecule of proteins have revealed its widespread impact on virtually all primary functions in the human organism. As our understanding of this influence is still growing, a comprehensive overview of compiled data will give fresh impetus for creativity and developing new strategies in heme‐related research. From known data concerning heme‐regulated proteins and their involvement in the development of diseases, we provide concise information of Fe II/III heme as a regulator and the availability of “regulatory heme”. The latter is dependent on the balance between free and bound Fe II/III heme, here termed “hemeostasis”. Imbalance of this system can lead to the development of diseases that were not always attributed to this small molecule. Diseases such as cancer or Alzheimer's disease highlight the reawakened interest in heme, whose function was previously believed to be completely understood.