Pathways for heme and iron recycling during erythrophagocytosis. Senescent red blood cells are recognized by macrophages of the reticuloendothelial system and subsequently internalized and degraded. Iron (red circles) is released from hemoglobin in the phagolysosome by an unknown mechanism, imported into the cytosol via Nramp1, and is either stored in ferritin (FTN) or is exported from the cell by ferroportin (FPN). Heme in the phagolysosome is transported into the cytosol by HRG1, where it can be degraded by HMOX1 for storage or exported as iron. This heme may also be effluxed from the cell by the heme exporter, FLVCR1, and there is some evidence that it can be inserted in toto into apohemoproteins within the macrophage.