Erythroferrone expression increases in response to the increased levels of erythropoietin that occur in conditions of anemia or blood loss, inhibiting hepcidin production by the liver, most likely by interfering with the BMP/SMAD pathway (18, 30), and consequently inducing an increased release of iron by the hepatocytes, recycling macrophages and intestinal enterocytes, through the sole known iron exporter and target for hepcidin, ferroportin. Here, EPO is linked to anemia (phenotype).