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Updated: Jul 6, 2026

Measurement of Tissue Non-Heme Iron Content using a Bathophenanthroline-Based Colorimetric Assay
Published on: January 31, 2022
Deficiency of heme-regulated eIF2alpha kinase decreases hepcidin expression and splenic iron in HFE-/- mice
Sijin Liu1, Rajasekhar N V S Suragani, Anping Han
1Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
Abstract:
Heme-regulated eIF2alpha kinase (HRI) is essential for regulating globin translation in iron deficiency and in beta-thalassemia. We investigated the role of heme-regulated eIF2alpha kinase in hemoglobin and red blood cell production as well as in iron homeostasis in a mouse model of iron overload. We show that HRI deficiency does not significantly affect red cell parameters of hemochromatosis (HFE(-)(/)(-)) mice. Importantly, heme-regulated eIF2alpha kinase deficiency exacerbates decreases in hepcidin expression and splenic macrophage iron in HFE(-)(/)(-) mice. Furthermore, the serum level of bone morphogenic protein 2, which positively regulates hepcidin, is reduced in heme-regulated eIF2alpha kinase deficiency, but not in HFE deficiency.
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