Erythropoiesis and Anaemia Flashcards
How does iron get into the body
has to be taken in in the diet
what is the average intake of iron into the body per day
15mg
How much iron do we have in our body
3-5g
how much iron is found in haemoglobin
2g at least
what are haem proteins
these are proteins that contain iron
what is steric hinderance
this is the process by which oxygen is never fully attached to the haem group this is because the other 5 molecules that are bound to the haem group cause it to be slightly repelled therefore oxygen can easily leave and re attach to haemoglobin so can go into tissues
where does the main absorption of iron take place
in the duodenum by enterocytes in the duodenal lining
what is the specialisation of enterocytes that allow iron absorption
- have microvilli
- in the microvilli there are transporter proteins these pick up the ferrous iron atoms in the food
what is the main transporter protein that carries iron atoms
DMT-1 (divalent metal transporter 1)
what form must the iron be in in order to be picked up by iron transporter proteins such as DMT-1
ferrous form
what does ferric reductase enzyme do
- Ferric reductase enzyme in microvilli reduce FE3+ IN THE GUT TO FE2+ (ferrous form) to transport it into the cell through the transport proteins such as DMT-1
why are ferritin molecules in most cells
- Mitochondria need iron for haem therefore ferrtin moleucles are in most cells
what membrane is DMT-1 on
the apical membrane
Describe the structure of ferritin
- Ferritin is a large hollow ‘polyprotein’ made of 24 apoferritin subunits.
- It stores many iron atoms inside it in the inactive (Fe+++) form
what does ferritin act as
it acts as a buffer against iron deficiency and iron overload
how does iron get into the enterocyte
- Iron that has ben transported in by DMT-1 (apical membrane) is stored in the enterocyte in the ferritin molecule
where is ferritin found
- Ferritin is found in most tissues as a cytosolic protein, but small amounts are secreted into the serum where it functions as an iron carrier.
what can be used as a diagnostic test for iron deficiency anaemia
- Plasma ferritin is an indirect marker of the total amount of iron stored in the body, hence serum ferritin can be used as a diagnostic test for iron deficiency anemia
how is iron removed from the enterocytes
- Iron can be removed from the ferritin and is transported out of the enterocyte by ferroprotein molecules which is in the basolateral membrane, this transports the iron into the blood where it is grabbed by transferrin
where are ferroprotein molecules
they are on the basolateral membrane
why does iron have to be bound to transferrin
- this is because it is reactive and can catalyse reactions
what are transferrin
- iron binding plasma glycoproteins that regulate the level of free iron in plasma and other extracellular fluids
how many iron atoms can transferrin carry
two iron atoms in the ferric form (Fe+++).
how is iron carried into cells from transferrin
- Transferrin receptors bind to the iron loaded transferrin and take it into the cell by endocytosis into an endosome (vesicle), the endosome is has a lower pH/ more acidic than the transferrin which makes it release the iron
- The empty receptor/transferrin complex is transported back to the cell surface and the transferrin released ready for another round of iron uptake.
- iron is then taken up by haemoglobin or ferritin molecules which store it for future use
what are serum transferrin levels measured for
- serum transferrin levels are measured in cases of suspected in iron deficiency and in iron overloaded disorders
what is ferric symbol
Fe+++
what is ferrous symbol
Fe++
what do myeloid stem cells become
erythrocytes
what do lymphoid stem cells become
lymphocytes
what are the different types of bone marrow
red marrow
yellow marrow
what’s another word for myeloid tissue
bone marrow
what bone marrow does erythropoiesis occur in the adult
- mostly occurs in red marrow
what does yellow marrow contain
fat droplets and cells
what takes up a large proportion of the circulating transferrin molecules
- Myeloid cells in the bone marrow take up a large proportion of the circulating transferrin molecules to incorporate the iron into hemoglobin in erythrocyte precursor cells.