Eisenstein R S
Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Wisconsin, Madison 53706, USA.
Nutr Rev. 2000 Jan;58(1):22-6. doi: 10.1111/j.1753-4887.2000.tb01821.x.
Approximately 75 years ago Hart and colleagues discovered that copper deficiency impaired mammalian iron metabolism. Discovery of hephaestin identifies a critical new component of the copper and iron connection in mammals. Hephaestin appears to be a multicopper oxidase required for efficient export of iron from the intestine.