The FECH gene provides instructions for making an enzyme known as ferrochelatase. This enzyme is involved in the production of a molecule called heme. Heme is vital for all of the body’s organs, although it is most abundant in the blood, bone marrow, and liver. Heme is an essential component of iron-containing proteins called hemoproteins, including hemoglobin (the protein that carries oxygen in the blood).
The production of heme is a multi-step process that requires eight different enzymes. Ferrochelatase is responsible for the eighth and final step in this process, in which an iron atom is inserted into the center of protoporphyrin IX (the product of the seventh step) to form heme.
Other Names
ferrochelatase (protoporphyria); Ferrochelatase, mitochondrial; Heme Synthetase; HEMH_HUMAN; Porphyrin-Metal Chelatase; Protoheme Ferro-Lyase
Related Genetics Topics
Identifiers
- NCBI Gene: 2235
- OMIM: 612386
Source: MedlinePlus Genetics, U.S. National Library of Medicine.
