title: Cloning and gastrointestinal expression of rat hephaestin: relationship to other iron transport proteins.
abstract: The membrane-bound ceruloplasmin homolog hephaestin plays a critical role in intestinal iron absorption. The aims of this study were to clone the rat hephaestin gene and to examine its expression in the gastrointestinal tract in relation to other genes encoding iron transport proteins. The rat hephaestin gene was isolated from intestinal mRNA and was found to encode a protein 96% identical to mouse hephaestin. Analysis by ribonuclease protection assay and Western blotting showed that hephaestin was expressed at high levels throughout the small intestine and colon. Immunofluorescence localized the hephaestin protein to the mature villus enterocytes with little or no expression in the crypts. Variations in iron status had a small but nonsignificant effect on hephaestin expression in the duodenum. The high sequence conservation between rat and mouse hephaestin is consistent with this protein playing a central role in intestinal iron absorption, although its precise function remains to be determined.
authors.affiliation: Joint Clinical Sciences Program, The Queensland Institute of Medical Research and The University of Queensland, PO Royal Brisbane Hospital, Brisbane, Queensland 4029, Australia.
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Frazer
authors.forename: C D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Vulpe
authors.forename: A T
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: McKie
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Wilkins
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Trinder
authors.forename: G J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Cleghorn
authors.forename: G J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Anderson
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D027682:Cation Transport Proteins; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004064:Digestive System / Q000378:metabolism*; D006680:HLA Antigens / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D000071020:Hemochromatosis Protein; D015395:Histocompatibility Antigens Class I / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D015151:Immunoblotting; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007501:Iron / Q000378:metabolism*; D033862:Iron-Binding Proteins; D008297:Male; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D011990:Receptors, Transferrin / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D014018:Tissue Distribution; D000099236:Solute Carrier Family 11, Member 2
chemical_list: D002352:Carrier Proteins; D027682:Cation Transport Proteins; D006680:HLA Antigens; D000071020:Hemochromatosis Protein; D015395:Histocompatibility Antigens Class I; D007501:Iron; D033862:Iron-Binding Proteins; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D011990:Receptors, Transferrin; D000099236:Solute Carrier Family 11, Member 2; C492164:HEPH protein, human; C103673:HFE protein, human; C484232:HFE protein, rat; C117324:Heph protein, mouse; C492163:Heph, protein, rat; C499535:Hfe protein, mouse