Concern over exposure to the radioactive fallout from nuclear power generation is episodic; not surprisingly, it is heightened at present, following the tragedy in Japan. A primary cytotoxin cohort released in such reactor meltdowns consists of isotopes of plutonium (Pu), all radioactive. The most common valence form, Pu(IV), mimics Fe(III) in the transferrin–transferrin receptor pathway; this pathway serves as Pu's 'Trojan horse' through which to enter the body.
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Kosman, D. Plutonium's Trojan horse. Nat Chem Biol 7, 498–499 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/nchembio.616
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nchembio.616
