[19] As a consequence, most iron in plasma of Trfhpx/hpx mice is NTBI. NTBI has been recognized as a contributor to hepatic iron overload for more than 25 years,[24] but the molecular mechanisms involved have proved elusive.[11] A possible role for DMT1 in hepatic NTBI uptake

was first proposed in 2000 by Trinder et al.,[17] who found by using immunohistochemistry (IHC) that DMT1 was present on rat hepatocyte plasma membranes and that DMT1 levels were elevated in iron overload. DMT1 levels were also GSK458 supplier reported to be up-regulated in isolated hepatocytes from Hfe−/− mice, which had elevated levels of plasma NTBI.[12] Support for DMT1 in NTBI uptake has been additionally provided by cell-culture studies showing that transfection of hepatoma cells with DMT1 complementary DNA increased DMT1 levels at the plasma membrane and enhanced the uptake of NTBI.[15] Since these initial reports, numerous studies[14, 30, 31] and recent reviews[5, 11, 13] cite DMT1 as the major mediator of hepatic NTBI uptake. In the present study, we formally tested the hypothesis that hepatocyte DMT1 plays a role in NTBI uptake by measuring the hepatic uptake of radiolabeled NTBI injected into Dmt1liv/liv mice. Our finding that NTBI uptake into the liver was unaffected in Dmt1liv/liv mice provides clear evidence

GSK3235025 supplier that hepatocyte DMT1 is dispensable for hepatic NTBI uptake; it also demonstrates that at least one alternative

hepatic NTBI uptake pathway must exist. Other proteins that have been implicated in NTBI uptake include ZIP14,[28, 32] ZIP8,[33] TfR2,[34] L-type voltage-gated calcium channels,[35] and lipocalin 2.[36] The observation that hepatic levels of ZIP14 and TfR2 were unaffected in Dmt1liv/liv mice suggests that NTBI uptake in the absence of hepatocyte DMT1 does not result from a compensatory up-regulation of either of these proteins. Although hepatocyte DMT1 is not required for hepatic uptake medchemexpress of NTBI, we found that it is partially required for uptake of TBI, as revealed by the 40% lower TBI uptake by livers in Dmt1liv/liv mice. The diminished TBI uptake likely reflects impaired uptake into hepatocytes, because transferrin iron is taken up nearly exclusively by hepatocytes, rather than other cell types, of the liver.[37] Yet, despite the lower TBI uptake, liver iron concentrations in Dmt1liv/liv mice were not lower than those in control animals. This observation suggests that DMT1-mediated iron uptake from plasma transferrin is not a major contributor to the normal pool of hepatic iron. Ferrokinetic studies of internal iron exchange in the rat have found that approximately 20% of iron from IV injected 59Fe-transferrin was taken up into the liver by 5 hours.[4] Our studies in mice found a similar percentage of iron uptake from transferrin (i.e., approximately 25% by 2 hours postinjection).