Restored iron transport by a small molecule promotes absorption and hemoglobinization in animals

Shipping iron around in small packages Iron plays a crucial role in a wide variety of biological functions, which in turn rely on the proteins that transport the metal in and out of cells. Grillo et al. used a simple lipophilic small molecule that binds iron ions to restore transport in animal models with deficiencies in iron transporters. This cyclic ketol, hinokitiol, was first tested in yeast and then shown to promote gut iron absorption in rats and mice, as well as hemoglobin production in zebrafish. Science , this issue p. 608