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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2022 Jul 1.
Published in final edited form as: J Cell Physiol. 2020 Dec 28;236(7):4888–4901. doi: 10.1002/jcp.30247

Figure 4. ERFE-Hepcidin-Ferroportin Axis.

Figure 4.

Interstitial fibroblasts in the kidney and hepatocytes in the liver respond to cellular hypoxia by HIF-2 induced transcription and production of EPO. EPO stimulates the expansion of erythroblasts as well as increasing production of ERFE. ERFE inhibits the transcription of hepatic hepcidin thereby stabilizing the cellular iron exporter ferroportin on the surfaces of hepatocytes and macrophages. Cellular iron stores are then mobilized into plasma to be used for hemoglobin synthesis by the expanded population of maturing erythrocytes. EPO, erythropoietin; ERFE, erythroferrone; HIF-2, hypoxia-inducible factor 2.