Expression of H and L ferritin mRNAs in mouse small intestine

Regulation of iron absorption occurs mainly at the level of duodenal enterocytes. Several proteins including ferritin, the iron-storing molecule, have been implicated in the uptake, cellular processing, and transfer of iron by the mucosal cells. H and L ferritin subunits assemble in various proportions to form a 24-subunit protein shell which can store up to 4500 iron atoms. Although tissue-specific distribution of H and L ferritin mRNAs has been widely described, little is known of ferritin gene expression in duodenal cells. In this study, we performed quantitative measurements of H and L ferritin mRNAs levels in mouse duodenum, ileum, and liver by ribonuclease protection assay. In addition, we assessed the relative subcellular distribution of these two mRNAs in mouse duodenal and ileal sections by in situ hybridization. The results show that in duodenal cells, the level of H ferritin mRNA is higher than the L ferritin level (H/L ratio of about 5). Moreover, expression of the H mRNA is regulated along both axes of the small intestine: the level increases sharply from the crypt to the apex of the villus, thus following the general differentiation pathway of these cells, and decreases from the proximal to the distal small intestine. In contrast, the L ferritin mRNA level does not change along the cryptovillus axis and increases in value in the ileum. These results suggest that expression of the H ferritin gene is dependent on the differentiation of the enterocytes but, as yet, the regulatory elements remain to be identified.