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CYTOKINE SPIKE. "Anemia of chronic disease is immune driven; cytokines and cells of the reticuloendothelial system induce changes in iron homeostasis, the proliferation of erythroid progenitor cells, the production of erythropoietin, and the life span of red cells, all of which contribute to the pathogenesis of anemia." https://lnkd.in/eR97PqF View in LinkedIn

IRON ACQUISITION AND VIRULENCE. "Many organisms can produce small molecular-weight iron-binding compounds called siderophores that can successfully utilize the iron sequestered by the transferrins. Such organisms are very virulent." https://lnkd.in/e9yjFnc View in LinkedIn

LOW BLOOD IRON. "The induction of hypoferremia by inflammation is commonly seen in many infectious diseases." Infection leads to a defensive inflammatory response by rapidly releasing cytokines. Equally, many inflammatory diseases can cause low blood iron ("anemia of chronic and inflammatory diseases"). https://lnkd.in/eyMxbBN View in LinkedIn

IRON WARFARE. "Bacterial pathogens can acquire iron through receptor-mediated recognition of transferrin, lactoferrin, hemopexin, hemoglobin, or hemoglobin–haptoglobin complexes. Alternatively, secreted siderophores can remove iron from transferrin, lactoferrin, or ferritin, whereupon siderophore–iron complexes are recognized by cognate receptors at the bacterial surface." https://lnkd.in/epJAeXg View in LinkedIn

FRAGMENT FROM NATURE this weekend deals with pathogen iron piracy from the host during illnesses. Iron is a rate-limiting metal for pathogen growth, and pathogen hosts have figured out elaborate methods to try and limit access to this metal by pathogens, who in turn have been equally creative in finding ways to steal this critical commodity. View in LinkedIn

PATHOGENS NEED IRON. "Haemophilus influenzae is an obligate human commensal/pathogen. This haem autotroph must acquire haem from its host to sustain aerobic growth." This is common for many pathogens, bacterial, fungal or viral. This obligate need for iron has led to a range of iron acquisition strategies by the invasive pathogens, and creative iron sequestering responses by their hosts. https://lnkd.in/egknWXi View in LinkedIn

THIS DETAILED JOURNEY into mobile genetic elements is designed for a purpose, as it will be a Trojan Horse into a big and important topic that is too hot for most academics to touch. Careers can incinerate in this theme. But I have nothing to loose. And the topic deserves serious treatment. Softly, softly. View in LinkedIn

TRANSFERRIN DYNAMICS. "The iron-deficient transferrins will inhibit the growth of certain bacteria and fungi by making iron unavailable for bacterial metabolism. Such activity is abolished if the transferrin is saturated with iron. Overwhelming evidence is now available to indicate that the transferrins play an important role in mammalian host-defense mechanisms." https://lnkd.in/e9yjFnc View in LinkedIn

CODE WRITERS, HACKERS and other IT experts would do well to study carefully the creative and diverse ways of stray code in living systems such as mobile genetic elements. Art imitates life, as most of the biomimicy community will tell you. Never more true in the intimate parallels of the possibilities of informational code. View in LinkedIn

"TRANSFERRINS are iron-binding blood plasma glycoproteins that control the level of free iron in biological fluids. Transferrin glycoproteins bind iron tightly, but reversibly. Although iron bound to transferrin is less than 0.1% (4 mg) of total body iron, it forms the most vital iron pool with the highest rate of turnover (25 mg/24 h)." https://lnkd.in/ech9XqN View in LinkedIn