First Author | Fleming MD | Year | 1997 |
Journal | Nat Genet | Volume | 16 |
Issue | 4 | Pages | 383-6 |
PubMed ID | 9241278 | Mgi Jnum | J:42052 |
Mgi Id | MGI:894989 | Doi | 10.1038/ng0897-383 |
Citation | Fleming MD, et al. (1997) Microcytic anaemia mice have a mutation in Nramp2, a candidate iron transporter gene. Nat Genet 16(4):383-6 |
abstractText | Although disorders of iron metabolism are prevalent, iron transport remains poorly understood. To address this problem, we undertook a positional cloning strategy to identify the causative mutation in mice with microcytic anaemia (mk). Homozygous mk/mk mice have microcytic, hypochromic anaemia due to severe defects in intestinal iron absorption and erythroid iron utilization(1-4). We report the identification of a strong candidate gene for mk, and suggest that the phenotype is a consequence of a missense mutation in Nramp2 (ref. 5), a previously identified gene of unknown function. Nramp2 is homologous to Nramp1, a gene active in host defense. If Nramp2 is mk, as the cumulative evidence suggests, our findings have broad implications for the understanding of iron transport and resistance to intracellular pathogens. |