In the liver, during infection with extracellular bacteria, hepcidin targets ferroportin (FP1) [a transmembrane protein that transports iron from the inside of a cell to the outside] and results in its degradation which causes a reduction in hepcidin levels produced by macrophages as a result of inflammatory cytokines; giving rise to hypoferremia (reduced iron availability for extracellular bacteria) and high levels of ferritin [44]. Here, SLC40A1 is linked to infection.