Dietary iron-deficiency up-regulates hephaestin mRNA level in small intestine of rats

Hephaestin is a protein, recently found from the study of sla (sex-linked anemia) mouse. Hephaestin is suggested to transport iron from intestinal enterocytes into the circulation. Iron is essential for living and for humans to maintain a constant total iron concentration in whole body. In this study, it was found that dietary iron-deficiency up-regulated hephaestin mRNA level in the proximal small intestine of rats. Therefore, it is suggested that in dietary iron-deficiency, hephaestin gene expression in proximal small intestine is up-regulated to absorb more iron from diet.