Iron status and hepatic TfR2 mRNA expression in control mice and mice with dietary iron overload. Serum transferrin saturations (A), hepatic iron concentrations (B), and relative TfR2 liver mRNA contents (C) were compared in mice maintained on a standard diet (open bars) and mice maintained on a diet supplemented with 2% carbonyl iron for 6 wk (shaded bars). TfR2 mRNA levels were normalized to those for β-actin and are expressed relative to the mean of the control group. Values are expressed as mean +/− SEM, n = 5, each group. *, P < 0.05 by Student's t test, with Welch's correction for unequal variance.