Disturbances of
iron homeostasis are associated with altered susceptibility to
infectious disease, but the underlying molecular mechanisms are poorly understood. To study this phenomenon, we examined innate immunity to oral
Salmonella infection in Hfe knockout (Hfe(-/-)) mice, a model of the human inherited disorder of
iron metabolism type I
hemochromatosis. Salmonella- and LPS-induced inflammatory responses were attenuated in the mutant animals, with less severe
enterocolitis observed in vivo and reduced macrophage
TNF-alpha and
IL-6 secretion measured in vitro. The macrophage
iron exporter
ferroportin (FPN) was up-regulated in the Hfe(-/-) mice, and correspondingly, intramacrophage
iron levels were lowered. Consistent with the functional importance of these changes, the abnormal
cytokine production of the mutant macrophages could be reproduced in wild-type cells by
iron chelation, and in a macrophage cell line by overexpression of FPN. The results of analyzing specific steps in the biosynthesis of
TNF-alpha and
IL-6, including intracellular concentrations, posttranslational stability and transcript levels, were consistent with reduced translation of
cytokine mRNAs in Hfe(-/-) macrophages. Polyribosome profile analysis confirmed that elevated macrophage FPN expression and low intracellular
iron impaired the translation of specific inflammatory
cytokine transcripts. Our results provide molecular insight into immune function in type I
hemochromatosis and other disorders of
iron homeostasis, and reveal a novel role for
iron in the regulation of the inflammatory response.