Iron ferritin in the liver.

Representative sections from the liver of a double-knockout mouse for classical MHC-I molecules(H2K^b−/−D^b−/−) (A,C) and from a control B6 mouse (B,D). (A-B) Histological sections stained for ferric iron (Perls); (C-D) ultrathin section of the same liver sample, contrasted with lead citrate. TheH2K^b−/−D^b−/− and the B6 mice shown had a hepatic iron concentration of 517 μg/g dry wt and 252 μg/g dry wt, respectively. In the picture representative of the results seen in H2K^b−/−D^b−/−mice, the iron was detected in hepatocytes (A), while in B6 mice no stainable iron could be found (B). Although in B6 mice, lysosomes containing some iron ferritin could be visualized (arrows, D),H2K^b−/−D^b−/− mice had many lysosomes, with abundant iron ferritin, as well as iron ferritin in the cytoplasm (arrowheads, C). Original magnification × 1000 (A-B); EM magnification × 90 000 (C-D).