Figure 4.

Increased expression of Tfr2 in Hfe^−/− mice fails to change hepcidin and iron levels. (A-B) An identical protocol was used as outlined in Figure 1. AAV-Tfr2 was injected into Hfe^−/− mice. Increased Tfr2 expression in mice injected with AAV-Tfr2 (■) was detected by immunoblot with the use of an antibody to Tfr2 and not in AAV-c (▩) injected mice. Similarly, increased Tfr2 mRNA was detected in the livers of AAV-Tfr2–injected mice. No significant changes in the iron parameters of the liver or serum were detected despite the increased Tfr2 mRNA levels and Tfr2 protein levels. The experiment was repeated once with 4 mice in each group with similar results. Error bars represent SD.