Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0240066 (iron deficiency)
 7,156 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

HFE is a non-typical MHC class 1-type protein that is mutated in hereditary hemochromatosis. The purpose of this study was to identify possible splice variants of HFE mRNA and investigate the regulation of these isoforms in duodenum and liver of patients with normal and altered iron stores. RT-PCR was performed using HFE specific primers and duodenal RNA obtained from patients with hemochromatosis, iron deficiency, secondary iron overload and normal controls. The reaction products were visualized by Southern blot and identified by DNA sequence analysis. Additional studies were performed on RNA isolated from liver and a range of human tissues. A truncated (soluble) form of HFE protein was identified that lacks the transmembrane domain and occurs as a result of alternative splicing. Soluble HFE was found predominantly in the duodenum, spleen, breast, skin and testicle. In hereditary hemochromatosis full length HFE was the predominant isoform present in the duodenum similar to iron deficiency. Alternate splicing produces soluble HFE that may have a unique function to regulate cellular iron transport.
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PMID:Alternate splicing produces a soluble form of the hereditary hemochromatosis protein HFE. 1034 14

Although the relationship between hereditary hemochromatosis and mutations in the HFE gene was discovered more than 20 years ago, information on the in vivo regulation of HFE protein expression is still limited. The purpose of the study was to determine the response of liver HFE protein content to iron deficiency in mice and rats by immunoblotting. Attempts to visualize the HFE protein in whole liver homogenates were unsuccessful; however, HFE could be detected in liver microsomes or in plasma membrane-enriched fractions. Five-week-old male C57BL/6 mice fed an iron-deficient diet for 4 wk presented with a significant decrease in liver iron content and liver Hamp expression, as well as with a significant decrease in liver HFE protein content. Rats fed an iron-deficient diet for 4 wk also displayed significant decrease in liver Hamp expression and liver HFE protein content. These results suggest that the downregulation of HFE-dependent signaling may contribute to decreased Hamp gene expression in states of prolonged iron deficiency. It has recently been proposed that HFE protein could be a potential target of matriptase-2, a hepatocyte protease mutated in iron-refractory iron deficiency anemia. However, immunoblot analysis of HFE protein in the livers from Tmprss6-mutated mask mice did not show evidence of matriptase-2-dependent HFE protein cleavage. In addition, no indication of HFE protein cleavage was seen in iron-deficient rats, whereas the full-length matriptase-2 protein content in the same animals was significantly increased. These results suggest that HFE is probably not a major physiological target of matriptase-2. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Feeding of iron-deficient diet for 4 wk decreased liver HFE protein content in both mice and rats, suggesting that decreased HFE-dependent signaling may contribute to hepcidin downregulation in iron deficiency. There was no difference in HFE protein band appearance between matriptase-2-mutated mask mice and wild-type mice, indicating that HFE is probably not a major physiological substrate of matriptase-2-mediated protease activity in vivo.
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PMID:Liver HFE protein content is posttranscriptionally decreased in iron-deficient mice and rats. 2992 22