Fig. 1. The mask phenotype.

A. Appearance of mask mice at 4 weeks of age. B. Anemia and iron deficiency in mask homozygotes 6-8 weeks of age. Hemoglobin (Hb), mean red blood cell volume (MCV) and plasma iron levels in mask homozygote and control mice. N=4 for each column. Error bars represent 1 standard deviation. C. and D. Retention of radioactive iron administered intragastrically. In C, mice were maintained on a normal diet prior to instillation of iron. In D, mice were iron depleted for one month prior to instillation of iron. E. After measuring retention of ⁵⁹Fe in iron-depleted mice, hepcidin mRNA levels were measured in the liver of the same five animals, normalized to mRNA levels of ribosomal protein S18. Color coding preserved for individual mice. Re-growth of hair in the mouse shown in panel A, one week (F) and two weeks (G) after initiation of a high-iron diet.