Hepcidin iron metabolism and hemochromatosis

Hemochromatosis is a kind of organ-damaged disease which is caused by iron overload.Many genes related iron metabolism such as HFE,HJV,HAMP,TfR2 are mutated to result in hemochromatosis,and HAMP is the most important gene.HAMP encodes a kind of small peptide called hepcidin which is a negative regulator of iron absorbtion in the small intestine and iron release from macrophages.Decrease of hepcidin content can lead to serum iron load and hemochromatosis.Other genes such as HFE,HJV,TfR2 can affect expression of hepcidin,so hepcidin is a central regulator in hemochromatosis.These researches are very important for understanding of hemochromatosis mechanism and diagnosis and treatment of hemochromatosis.