Table 1.

Overview of proteins that require iron to function properly.

Function	Protein
Oxygen transport	Hemoglobin
Oxygen storage	Myoglobin
Lipid and cholesterol biosynthesis	NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase, fatty acid desaturases, cytochrome P-450 subfamily 51 and Cytochrome P450 Family 7 Subfamily A Member 1
Oxygen sensing and regulation of hypoxia	Hypoxia-inducible factor prolyl hydroxylases
Synthesis catecholamines and neurotransmitters	Tryptophan hydroxylase, tyrosine hydroxylase, monoamine oxidase and aldehyde oxidase
Host defence, inflammation and production of nitric oxide	Myeloperoxidase, NADPH oxidase, indoleamine 2,3- dioxygenase, nitric oxide synthase and lipoxygenases
DNA synthesis, replication and repair	Ribonucleotide reductases, DNA polymerases, DNA glycolsylases, DNA primases, DNA helicasess and DNA endonucleases. Dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenas
Collagen synthesis	Proline hydroxylase
Electron transport and respiratory chain	Cytochrome C oxidase, Cytochrome b, cytochrome c1, Cytochrome oxidase P540, NADH dehydrogenase, aconitase, citrate synthase, Succinyl dehydogease, cytochrome reductase, Complex I-III, rieske protein, NADH ferrocyanide oxidoreductase
Adrenoxin	Steroid hydoxylation
Antioxidant defence	Catalase
Response to oxidative stress	Glutathione peroxidase 2, lactoperoxidase
Amino acid metabolism	Tryptophan pyrrolase, Phenaylalanine hydroxylase, deoxyhypusine hydroxylase
Carnitine biosynthesis	α-ketoglutarate (αKG)-dependent oxygenases
Synthesis of thyroid hormone	Thyroid peroxidase
Drug detoxification	Cytochrome P450 , NADPH cytochrome P450 reductase
Prostaglandin thromboxane synthesis, inflammation and response to oxidative stress	Cyclooxyenase
microRNA biogenesis	DiGeorge Syndrome Critical Region Gene 8
Ribosome function and tRNA modification	ABCE1, CDKRAP1, TYW1 and CDKAL1, Methylthiotransferase
Haeme biosynthesis	Ferrochelatase
Apoptosis and oxygen transport in the brain	Neuroglobin
Purine metabolism and synthesis	Xanthine oxidase, amidophosphoribosyltransferase