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Iron accumulation in the liver in hereditary hemochromatosis (HH) has been shown to be highly variable. Some studies point to the importance of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I (MHC-I) and CD8+cells as modifiers of iron overload. In this report, using mice knockout for H2Kb−/−and H2Db−/−genes, it is demonstrated that lack of classical MHC-I molecules results in a spontaneous increase of nonheme iron content in the liver (mainly located in the hepatocytes) when compared to wild-type mice. In CD8−/−and Rag2−/−mice, no spontaneous hepatic iron accumulation was observed. These results demonstrate for the first time that classical MHC-I molecules could be involved in the regulation of iron metabolism and contribute to the established genotype/phenotype discrepancies seen in HH.

Iron accumulation in the liver in hereditary hemochromatosis (HH) has been shown to be highly variable. Some studies point to the importance of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I (MHC-I) and CD8+ cells as modifiers of iron overload. In this report, using mice knockout for H2Kb−/−and H2Db−/− genes, it is demonstrated that lack of classical MHC-I molecules results in a spontaneous increase of nonheme iron content in the liver (mainly located in the hepatocytes) when compared to wild-type mice. In CD8−/−and Rag2−/− mice, no spontaneous hepatic iron accumulation was observed. These results demonstrate for the first time that classical MHC-I molecules could be involved in the regulation of iron metabolism and contribute to the established genotype/phenotype discrepancies seen in HH.