Quantitative study of iron metabolism-related genes expression in rat.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the multiple iron metabolism-related genes expression, its regulation by iron and the expression correlation among the genes in rat tissues.


METHODS
Two groups (n=30) of Sprague-Dawley female weanling rats were fed with a control diet and an iron deficient diet respectively for 4 weeks. All rats were then sacrificed, and blood and tissue samples were collected. The routine blood examination was performed with a veterinary automatic blood cell analyzer. Elemental iron levels in liver, spleen and serum were determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The mRNA expression of genes was detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR.


RESULTS
After 4 weeks, the hemoglobin (Hb) level and red blood cell (RBC) count were significantly lower in the iron deficient group compared with those in the control group. The iron levels in liver, spleen and serum in the iron deficient group were significantly lower than those in the control group. In reference to small intestine, the relative expression of each iron-related gene varied in the different tissues. Under the iron deficiency, the expression of these genes changed in a tissue-specific manner. The expression of most of the genes significantly correlated in intestine, spleen and lung, but few correlated in liver, heart and kidney.


CONCLUSIONS
Findings from our study provides new understandings about the relative expression, regulation by iron and correlation among the mRNA expressions of transferrin receptors 1 and 2, divalent metal transporter 1, ferritin, iron regulation proteins 1 and 2, hereditary hemochromatosis protein, hepcidin, ferroportin 1 and hephaestin in intestine, liver, spleen, kidney, heart, and lung of rat.
Department of Public Health, College of Medicine, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, Shaanxi, China.
Yan Qin
YQ
Li
Bin
B
Bai
Quan Qing
QQ
Zheng
Hong
H
Yan
Gui Hua
GH
Zhuang
D000818:Animals; D005293:Ferritins / Q000097:blood; D015870:Gene Expression; D064451:Hepcidins; D007501:Iron; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
D064451:Hepcidins; D005293:Ferritins; D007501:Iron
Dmt1; Ferroportin 1; Hepcidin; Hephaestin; Iron; Tfr