NCOA4 and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: NCOA4 expression levels in COPD lung tissues were higher than those in normal lung tissues, and intriguingly, were negatively correlated with %FEV1 (Fig. 5c), suggesting a link between ferritinophagy and worsening of airway obstruction in the setting of reduced GPX4 and increased NCOA4 during COPD pathogenesis.