Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UNIPROT:P02794 (ferritin)
 17,525 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The understanding of iron metabolism at the molecular level has been enormously expanded in recent years by new findings about the functioning of transferrin, the transferrin receptor and ferritin. Other recent developments include the discovery of the hemochromatosis gene HFE, identification of previously unknown proteins involved in iron transport, divalent metal transporter 1 and stimulator of Fe transport, and expanded insights into the regulation and expression of proteins involved in iron metabolism. Interactions among principal participants in iron transport have been uncovered, although the complexity of such interactions is still incompletely understood. Correlated efforts involving techniques and concepts of crystallography, spectroscopy and molecular biology applied to cellular processes have been, and should continue to be, particularly revealing.
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PMID:Iron metabolism. 1022 41

We examined whether high levels of circulatory iron may cause iron accumulation in the brain. In particular, we focussed on the substantia nigra and basal ganglia as several papers have indicated that iron may accumulate here and cause death of dopaminergic neurons. Normal mice and a mouse model of hereditary haemochromatosis, the beta2-microglobulin (beta2m) knock out [beta2m (-/-)] mouse, which has high levels of circulating iron due to increased iron absorption, were examined. The iron concentration in livers were: 170+/-15 microg/g (mean +/- SD) in controls and 1010+/-50 microg/g in beta2m (-/-) mice (p<0.001), whereas in the brain the respective values were 47 +/-1 microg/g and 53+/-2 microg/g (p<0.02). Hence, the difference between cerebral iron levels of normal and beta2m (-/-) mice was small. Histological examination of the brains revealed an unequivocal distribution of ferric iron, ferritin, transferrin and divalent metal transporter 1 (DMT1), which were indistinguishable when normal and beta2m (-/-) mice were compared. In the substantia nigra and basal ganglia, ferric iron and the iron-binding proteins were present in identical cell types, which mainly comprised oligodendrocytes and microglia. Neurons were lightly labelled with transferrin and DMT1. The virtual lack of an increase in cerebral iron in beta2m (-/-) mice clearly shows that the blood-brain barrier (BBB) is capable of restricting the transport of excess plasma iron into the brain.
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PMID:Cellular distribution of ferric iron, ferritin, transferrin and divalent metal transporter 1 (DMT1) in substantia nigra and basal ganglia of normal and beta2-microglobulin deficient mouse brain. 1087 42

The zinc content in the pancreatic beta cell is among the highest of the body, but information about which proteins might handle zinc in the beta cell is unknown. In the present work RT-PCR was used to obtain clues about the developmental expression of genes encoding metal complexing proteins in the pancreatic islets of the normal Sprague-Dawley rat and the BB diabetes resistant (BBDR) rat. The BBDR rat possesses beta cells genetically identical to the BB diabetes prone (BBDP) rat which exhibits an autoimmune diabetes quite similar to type 1 diabetes in humans, but in contrast to the BBDP rat, the islets of the BBDR rat are amenable to study because they are not destroyed by immune attack. There was no difference in the expression of any of the genes studied between the two strains of rats. mRNAs encoding zinc transport proteins ZnT-1 and ZnT-4, as well as calreticulin, ferritin heavy and light chains, metallothionein 1, metallothionein 3, Nramp1, Nramp2, transferrin, and the transferrin receptor were readily detected in pancreatic islets of 10-day-old, 5-week-old, and adult (60 to 90-day-old) rats. In contrast to the islet, mRNAs encoding metallothionein 3, Nramp1, Nramp2, ZnT-2, ZnT-3, and ZnT-4 and transferrin were not detected in the whole pancreas of adult Sprague-Dawley rats. In the whole pancreas of 3-day-old rats, ZnT-1 was the only zinc transporter mRNA detected and its level was moderate. Moderate to high levels of mRNA encoding calreticulin and the light and heavy chains of ferritin, as well as transferrin and the transferrin receptor, were detected in whole pancreas at 3 days. ZnT-2 and ZnT-3 mRNAs were present in low to moderate levels in pancreatic islets of 10-day and 5-week-old rats, but were absent in 3-day-old pancreas and islets of adult animals. These results indicate that expression of these proteins is developmentally regulated in the islet. In both Sprague-Dawley and BB rats, high levels of mRNAs encoding known beta cell proteins as controls (cytochrome b558, quinone reductase, the tricarboxylic acid transport protein and the receptors for IGF-1 and IGF-2 and insulin) were present in islets from 10 days to adulthood. Levels of mRNAs encoding quinone reductase, the tricarboxylic acid transport protein cytochrome b558 and the receptors for IGF-2 and insulin, were low or absent in 3-day-old and adult pancreas. BB rats were studied in an attempt to discern a difference between normal rats and the BB strain of rats, because, perhaps, delayed expression of a beta cell protein results in failure of immune tolerance against the beta cell. According to this paradigm none of the proteins examined in the current study appear to be a candidate for initiating an immune response in the BB rat.
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PMID:Survey of mRNAs encoding zinc transporters and other metal complexing proteins in pancreatic islets of rats from birth to adulthood: similar patterns in the Sprague-Dawley and Wistar BB strains. 1096 17

Primary iron overload may be relatively common in African Americans, but its cause is incompletely understood. Thus, we evaluated genotype and phenotype characteristics of unselected African American index patients with primary iron overload who reside in central Alabama. All had hepatic iron concentration > or =30 micromol/g dry wt or > or =2.0 g of iron mobilized by phlebotomy to achieve iron depletion. Genotype analyses were performed in African American control subjects from the same region. There were 23 patients (19 men, 4 women); mean age at diagnosis was 52 +/- 12 years (1 SD) (range 32-69 years). Nine (39.1%) reported that they consumed > or =45 g of ethanol daily; five had chronic hepatitis C. Eight had some form of hemoglobinopathy or thalassemia. Mean serum transferrin saturation was 56 +/- 28% (range 15-100%). The geometric mean serum ferritin at diagnosis was 1076 ng/mL [95% confidence interval 297-3473 ng/mL]. Increased stainable liver iron was observed in hepatocytes only in 4 patients, in macrophages only in 8 patients, and in hepatocytes and macrophages in 8 patients. The mean quantity of iron mobilized by phlebotomy (corrected for iron absorbed during treatment) was 5.3 +/- 2.0 g (range 4.0-8.4 g). Iron removed by phlebotomy was greater in patients with hemoglobinopathy or thalassemia than in those without these forms of anemia (6.6 +/- 1.3 g vs 3.9 +/- 1.6 g, respectively; P = 0.0144). Daily consumption of > or =45 g of ethanol or chronic hepatitis C was not associated with an increased or decreased amount of phlebotomy-mobilized iron, on the average. The percentage of index patients positive for HFE C282Y was greater than that of controls (P = 0.0058). The respective percentages of phenotype positivity for HFE H63D, D6S105(8), and HLA-A*03 were similar in patients and controls. HFE S65C, I105T, and G93R were not detected in index or control subjects. Two of 13 patients were heterozygous for the ferroportin allele nt 744 G-->T (Q248H), although the phenotype frequency of this allele was similar in patients and 39 controls. Synonymous ferroportin alleles were also detected in some patients. The ceruloplasmin mutation nt 1099C-->T (exon 6; Arg367Cys) was detected in 1 of 2 patients tested. Abnormal alleles of beta-2 microglobulin, Nramp2, TFR2, hepcidin, or IRP2 alleles were not detected in either of the 2 patients so tested. We conclude that primary iron overload in African Americans is not the result of the mutation of a single gene. HFE C282Y, ferroportin 744 G-->T, and common forms of heritable anemia appear to account for increased iron absorption or retention in some patients.
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PMID:Genotypic and phenotypic heterogeneity of African Americans with primary iron overload. 1463 44

The distribution of brain iron is heterogeneous, but the mechanism by which these regional differences are achieved and maintained is unknown. In this study, the authors test two hypotheses related to brain iron transport. The first is that there is regional variability in the profile of proteins associated with iron transport and storage in the brain microvasculature. The second hypothesis is that the iron status of the brain will dictate the response of the protein profile in the microvasculature to changes in systemic iron status. The profile analysis consists of transferrin (iron transport), ferritin (iron storage), transferrin receptor (iron uptake), and divalent metal transporter 1 (release of iron from endosomes). An additional protein involved in cellular iron efflux, ferroportin, was not detected in brain microvasculature. The results show that there are significantly higher levels of these proteins in the microvasculature from each area of the brain compared to a whole brain homogenate, but no regional differences within the microvasculature. The levels of ferritin observed in the microvasculature indicate that the microvascular endothelial cells have significant iron storage capacity. There are no significant changes in the regional protein profiles in response to systemic iron manipulation when brain iron status was normal. In contrast, in Belgrade rats, whose brain is iron deficient, the expression of both divalent metal transporter 1 and transferrin receptor was increased compared with control in almost all brain regions examined, but not transferrin or ferritin. These findings indicate that regional brain iron heterogeneity is not maintained by differences in microvascular iron-management protein levels. The results also indicate that brain iron status dictates the response of the microvascular protein profile to systemic iron manipulation.
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PMID:Regulation of the profile of iron-management proteins in brain microvasculature. 1468 18

Hepatic hemosiderosis and increased iron absorption are common findings in cirrhosis. It has been proposed that a positive relation exists between intestinal iron absorption and the development of hepatic hemosiderosis. The current study investigated the duodenal expression of the iron transport molecules divalent metal transporter 1 (DMT1 [IRE]), iron-regulated gene 1 (Ireg1 [ferroportin]), hephaestin, and duodenal cytochrome b (Dyctb) in 46 patients with cirrhosis and 20 control subjects. Total RNA samples were extracted from duodenal biopsy samples and the expression of the iron transport genes was assessed by ribonuclease protection assays. Expression of DMT1 and Ireg1 was increased 1.5 to 3-fold in subjects with cirrhosis compared with iron-replete control subjects. The presence of cirrhosis per se and serum ferritin (SF) concentration were independent factors that influenced the expression of DMT1. However, only SF concentration was independently associated with Ireg1 expression. In cirrhosis, the expression of DMT1 and Ireg1 was not related to the severity of liver disease or cirrhosis type. There was no correlation between the duodenal expression of DMT1 and Ireg1 and the degree of hepatic siderosis. In conclusion, the presence of cirrhosis is an independent factor associated with increased expression of DMT1 but not Ireg1. The mechanism by which cirrhosis mediates this change in DMT1 expression has yet to be determined. Increased expression of DMT1 may play an important role in the pathogenesis of cirrhosis-associated hepatic iron overload.
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PMID:Increased duodenal expression of divalent metal transporter 1 and iron-regulated gene 1 in cirrhosis. 1476 3

We have previously shown that maternal iron (Fe) deficiency not only reduces fetal size, but also increases blood pressure in the offspring when they are adults. In this paper we examine whether there are critical periods when supplementation reverses or fails to reverse the effect both on size and on expression of genes of Fe metabolism. We made dams Fe deficient, mated them and provided supplements of Fe in the diet from the beginning of gestation (0.5 days), from 7.5 days or from 14.5 days. Within 12 h of birth, dams and neonates were killed and tissues taken and examined. Fe deficiency throughout pregnancy reduces neonatal size. Supplementation from the beginning of the first, second or third week all reduced the effect. Maternal haematocrit was restored to normal levels only in animals given supplements for at least 2 weeks. In contrast, the neonates' Fe levels were normal in all supplemented groups. These results were mirrored in liver Fe levels and in transferrin receptor mRNA. Iron-responsive element (IRE)-regulated divalent metal transporter 1 (DMT1) increased in maternal and neonatal liver. Non-IRE-regulated DMT1 levels did not change in the maternal liver, but decreased in the neonatal liver. H and L ferritin mRNA levels also showed different patterns in the mother and her offspring. Finally, the neonatal size correlated with maternal Fe stores, and not with those of the fetus. The data demonstrate that Fe supplementation during pregnancy is most effective when given early, rather than later, in gestation.
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PMID:Effect of timing of iron supplementation on maternal and neonatal growth and iron status of iron-deficient pregnant rats. 1535 6

Cytokines are integral to the development of anaemia of chronic inflammation. Cytokines modulate hepcidin expression and iron sequestration by the reticuloendothelial system but their direct effects on small bowel iron transport are not well characterized. The aim of the present study was to examine the local effects of TNFalpha (tumour necrosis factor alpha) on small bowel iron transport and on iron transporter expression in the absence of hepcidin. The effects of TNFalpha on iron transport were determined using radiolabelled iron in an established Caco-2 cell model. The effect of TNFalpha on the expression and localization of the enterocyte iron transporters DMT-1 (divalent metal transporter 1), IREG-1 (iron-regulated transporter 1) and ferritin was determined utilizing Caco-2 cells and in a human ex vivo small bowel culture system. TNFalpha mediated an early induction in both iron import and iron export, which were associated with increased DMT-1 and IREG-1 mRNA and protein expression (P<0.05). However, by 24 h, both iron import and iron export were significantly inhibited, coinciding with an induction of ferritin heavy chain (P<0.05) and a decrease in DMT-1 and IREG-1 to baseline levels. In addition, there was a relocalization of IREG-1 away from the basolateral cell border and increased iron deposition in villous enterocytes. In conclusion, TNFalpha has a direct effect on small bowel iron transporter expression and function, leading to an inhibition of iron transport.
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PMID:A role for tumour necrosis factor alpha in human small bowel iron transport. 1590 Dec 40

Cytokines are implicated in the anaemia of chronic disease by reducing erythropoiesis and increasing iron sequestration in the reticuloendotheial system. However, the effect of cytokines, in particular TNFalpha (tumour necrosis factor alpha), on small bowel iron uptake and iron-transporter expression remains unclear. In the present study, we subjected CD1 male mice to intraperitoneal injection with TNFalpha (10 ng/mouse) and then examined the expression and localization of DMT1 (divalent metal transporter 1), IREG1 (iron-regulated protein 1) and ferritin in duodenum. Liver and spleen samples were used to determine hepcidin mRNA expression. Changes in serum iron and iron loading of duodenum, spleen and liver were also determined. We found a significant (P<0.05) fall in serum iron 3 h post-TNFalpha exposure. This was coincident with increased iron deposition in the spleen. After 24 h of exposure, there was a significant decrease in duodenal iron transfer (P<0.05) coincident with increased enterocyte ferritin expression (P<0.05) and re-localization of IREG1 from the basolateral enterocyte membrane. Hepatic hepcidin mRNA levels remained unchanged, whereas splenic hepcidin mRNA expression was reduced at 24 h. In conclusion, we provide evidence that TNFalpha may contribute to anaemia of chronic disease by iron sequestration in the spleen and by reduced duodenal iron transfer, which seems to be due to increased enterocyte iron binding by ferritin and a loss of IREG1 function. These observations were independent of hepcidin mRNA levels.
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PMID:Tumour necrosis factor alpha causes hypoferraemia and reduced intestinal iron absorption in mice. 1656 52

Patients with alcoholic liver disease frequently exhibit iron overload in association with increased hepatic fibrosis. Even moderate alcohol consumption elevates body iron stores; however, the underlying molecular mechanisms are unknown. Hepcidin, a circulatory peptide synthesized in the liver, is a key mediator of iron metabolism. Ethanol metabolism significantly down-regulated both in vitro and in vivo hepcidin mRNA and protein expression. 4-Methylpyrazole, a specific inhibitor of the alcohol-metabolizing enzymes, abolished the effects of ethanol on hepcidin. However, ethanol did not alter the expression of transferrin receptor1 and ferritin or the activation of iron regulatory RNA-binding proteins, IRP1 and IRP2. Mice maintained on 10-20% ethanol for 7 days displayed down-regulation of liver hepcidin expression without changes in liver triglycerides or histology. This was accompanied by elevated duodenal divalent metal transporter1 and ferroportin protein expression. Injection of hepcidin peptide negated the effect of ethanol on duodenal iron transporters. Ethanol down-regulated hepcidin promoter activity and the DNA binding activity of CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein alpha (C/EBPalpha) but not beta. Interestingly, the antioxidants vitamin E and N-acetylcysteine abolished both the alcohol-mediated down-regulation of C/EBPalpha binding activity and hepcidin expression in the liver and the up-regulation of duodenal divalent metal transporter 1. Collectively, these findings indicate that alcohol metabolism-mediated oxidative stress regulates hepcidin transcription via C/EBPalpha, which in turn leads to increased duodenal iron transport.
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PMID:Alcohol metabolism-mediated oxidative stress down-regulates hepcidin transcription and leads to increased duodenal iron transporter expression. 1725 19


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