Abstract
SERUM ferritin concentration is normally directly related to body iron stores1,2 but abnormally high values are also found in patients with leukaemia3. The greatest amounts are present in patients with acute myeloblastic leukaemia and in this condition the concentration within circulating leukocytes is about six times higher than in normal leukocytes4. We have demonstrated an abnormally high rate of overall ferritin synthesis in leukaemic cells. Previous studies in other tissues have shown that ferritin synthesis is closely related to iron supply, but this does not seem to be the case in either normal or leukaemic leukocytes where production of the protein is independent of iron concentration and the protein formed contains little, if any, iron.
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WHITE, G., WORWOOD, M., PARRY, D. et al. Ferritin synthesis in normal and leukaemic leukocytes. Nature 250, 584–586 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1038/250584a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/250584a0
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