Human hepcidin is a 25 amino acid peptide first identified in urine and plasma. The main site of hepcidin synthesis is the liver. Structural studies show that hepcidin forms a simple hairpin stabilized by four disulfide bonds. The human hepcidin genecontains exons that encode a 72 amino-acid preprohepcidin that is processed to mature 25 amino-acid hepcidin in hepatocytes.
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