Siye Habtemariam
Research Mentor: Yatrik Shah
Mentor Department: Molecular & Integrative Physiology, Medicine
Author(s): Indrani Talukder, Siye Habtemariam
Session: Session 2 (10:00 AM – 10:50 AM)
Presentation Type: Poster 120
Abstract
Iron uptake in the gut is essential in order to maintain homeostasis within the body and carry out essential functions. When issues arise in this process, individuals may experience anemia, hypoxia, or other disorders related to iron deficiencies. The role of the CNIH4 protein in iron uptake and homeostasis within intestinal epithelial cells is one that is not well defined. Past research has identified that CNHI4 is part of a complex along with Ferroportin and Hepcidin. When these compounds bind, Hepcidin is known to degrade Ferroportin and deactivate its role in iron uptake. This study utilizes CRISPR in order to knock out various genes with the intention of stopping the expression of CNIH4 in mammalian cells. These knocked out lines will then be compared to a cell line where CNIH4 is overexpressed, acting as a control. The iron uptake levels in each of these cell lines when they are placed in iron rich and iron deficient environments will be investigated in order to identify the role of this protein. CNIH4’s presence in this process requires further investigation in order to obtain concrete conclusions and compare with the results of other studies. We predict that CNIH4 is involved in Ferroportin degradation, therefore reducing iron uptake within intestinal epithelial cells.
