title: Red cell iron uptake in hereditary microcytic anemia.
abstract: The iron uptake in vitro of red cells from mice with hereditary microcytic anemia (gene symbol mk) was studied to examine the hypothesis of a generalized impairment of cellular iron uptake in this conidition. Reticulocyte-rich red cells from anemic (mk/mk) and acutely bled normal (+/+) mice were incubated in 59Fe-labeled mouse plasma and the radioiron uptake measured. The 59Fe uptake of the mk/mk and +/+ cells was related in the same way to the reticulocyte concentration, the duration of incubation, and the percentage saturation of the plasma iron-binding capacity. However, under the same conditions, the iron uptake of red cells from normal (+/+) mice was greater than that by red cells from anemic (mk/mk) mice. Furthermore, the cellular loss of radioiron on exposure to EDTA was greater for the mk/mk red cells, although the proportion of the radioiron taken up that was incorporated into heme was the same for mk/mk and +/+ red cells. These results support the hypothesis of a generalized impairment of cellular iron uptake in hereditary microcytic anemia and suggest that there might be a defect in red cell receptor sites for transferrin in this condition.
mesh_terms: D000740:Anemia / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics*; D000818:Animals; D004492:Edetic Acid; D004906:Erythrocyte Count; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000378:metabolism*; D006418:Heme / Q000302:isolation & purification; D007501:Iron / Q000378:metabolism*; D007504:Iron Radioisotopes; D007659:Ketones; D051379:Mice; D010949:Plasma; D012156:Reticulocytes
chemical_list: D007504:Iron Radioisotopes; D007659:Ketones; D006418:Heme; D004492:Edetic Acid; D007501:Iron