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Updated: Jul 28, 2026

Assessment of the Metabolic Profile of Primary Leukemia Cells
Published on: November 21, 2018
The iron metabolism of neoplastic cells: alterations that facilitate proliferation?
Juliana C Kwok1, Des R Richardson
1The Iron Metabolism and Chelation Group, The Heart Research Institute, 145 Missenden Road, Camperdown, Sydney, NSW 2050, Australia.
Abstract:
For many years it has been known that neoplastic cells express high levels of the transferrin receptor 1 (TfR1) and internalize iron (Fe) from transferrin (Tf) at a tremendous rate. Considering the high requirement of neoplastic cells for Fe, understanding its metabolism is vital in terms of devising potential new therapies. Apart from TfR1, a number of molecules have been identified that may have roles in Fe metabolism and cellular proliferation. These molecules include transferrin (Tf), the oestrogen-inducible transferrin receptor-like protein, transferrin receptor 2 (TfR2), melanotransferrin (MTf), ceruloplasmin, and ferritin. In the present review these latter molecules are discussed in terms of their potential functions in tumour cell Fe metabolism and proliferation. Further studies are essential to determine the specific roles of these proteins in the pathogenesis of cancer.
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