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The expression and regulation of the iron transport molecules hephaestin and IREG1

Implications for the control of iron export from the small intestine

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Abstract

The amount of iron in the body is controlled at the point of absorption in the proximal small intestine. Dietary iron enters the intestinal epithelium via the brush-border transporter DMT1 and exits through the basolateral membranes. The basolateral transfer of iron requires two components: a copper-containing iron oxidase known as hephaestin and a membrane transport protein IREG1. The amount of iron traversing the enterocytes is directly related to body iron requirements and inversely related to the iron content of the intestinal epithelium. We propose that body signals control iron absorption by first acting on crypt enterocytes to determine the expression of basolateral transport components. This, in turn, modulates the intracellular iron content of mature epithelial cells, which ultimately determines the activity of the brush-border transporter DMT1.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Iron Metabolism Laboratory, The Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Queensland, Australia

    Gregory J. Anderson, David M. Frazer & Sarah J. Wilkins

  2. Division of Life Sciences, King's College, London, UK

    Andrew T. McKie

  3. Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of California, Berkeley, CA

    Christopher D. Vulpe

Authors
  1. Gregory J. Anderson
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  2. David M. Frazer
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  3. Andrew T. McKie
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  4. Sarah J. Wilkins
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  5. Christopher D. Vulpe
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Correspondence to Gregory J. Anderson.

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Anderson, G.J., Frazer, D.M., McKie, A.T. et al. The expression and regulation of the iron transport molecules hephaestin and IREG1. Cell Biochem Biophys 36, 137–146 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1385/CBB:36:2-3:137

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