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Updated: Jan 27, 2026

Ferritinophagy: Assessing the Selective Degradation of Iron by Autophagy in Human Fibroblasts
Published on: February 23, 2024
NCOA4-Mediated Ferritinophagy: A Potential Link to Neurodegeneration
Maria Quiles Del Rey1, Joseph D Mancias1
1Division of Genomic Stability and DNA Repair, Department of Radiation Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, United States.
Abstract:
NCOA4 (Nuclear receptor coactivator 4) mediates the selective autophagic degradation of ferritin, the cellular cytosolic iron storage complex, thereby playing a critical role in intracellular and systemic iron homeostasis. Disruptions in iron homeostasis and autophagy are observed in several neurodegenerative disorders raising the possibility that NCOA4-mediated ferritinophagy links these two observations and may underlie, in part, the pathophysiology of neurodegeneration. Here, we review the available evidence detailing the molecular mechanisms of NCOA4-mediated ferritinophagy and recent studies examining its role in systemic iron homeostasis and erythropoiesis. We propose additional studies to examine the potential role of NCOA4 in the brain in the context of neurodegenerative diseases.
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