Prion Protein (PrP) Knock-Out Mice Show Altered Iron Metabolism: A Functional Role for PrP in Iron Uptake and Transport
Figure 7
Distribution of 59Fe in Wt and PrPKO mice.
Plasma: 59Fe in PrPKO samples is lower after 1 hour, increases by 48 hours, and falls to values below Wt after 11 days of chase. RBCs: Wt RBCs show 59Fe incorporation after 24 hours, and the amount increases steadily till 11 days of chase. PrPKO RBCs, on the other hand, incorporate 59Fe relatively sooner after 4 hours, and show only a modest increase till 11 days of chase. Except for the 4 hour chase time, the amount of 59Fe in PrPKO RBCs is significantly lower than Wt controls, especially after 11 days of chase. Spleen: Wt samples show a slight increase in 59Fe after 24 hours, and minimal change thereafter. PrPKO spleens, on the other hand, show a significant increase after 4 hours, followed by a precipitous fall after 24 hours. Femur: Kinetics of 59Fe uptake mirrors that of the spleen. PrPKO samples show a spike at 4 hours that is maintained till 24 hours, followed by a fall. Wt samples show a delayed peak at 24 hours, and a fall to similar levels as the PrPKO sample after 11 days. Liver: Wt samples show a steady increase in 59Fe till 11 days of chase. PrPKO samples, on the other hand, show a peak at 24 hours, and the counts fall thereafter to values significantly lower than Wt controls. Brain: Wt and PrPKO samples do not show much difference at early time points of chase, but 59Fe incorporation in the PrPKO sample is significantly lower than Wt controls after 11 days of chase. Values are mean±SEM of three independent experiments. *p<0.01, **p<0.001 relative to Wt.