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Joan Stephenson, PhD

JAMA. 2001;286:663.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

For individuals who have hereditary hemochromatosis—including about 0.5% of the US white population—buildup of iron in the body caused by aberrant iron metabolism can cause severe organ damage and other health problems. Scientists have identified hemochromatosis-related mutations in some of the genes involved in iron metabolism, but not all genes or mutations that underlie this condition are known.

Now, however, a team of researchers from the Netherlands has identified a new gene that, when mutated, can cause this relatively common disorder. The new findings were reported in the July issue of Nature Genetics.

In the study, which involved a large Dutch family in which hemochromatosis was prevalent, researchers led by Peter Heutink, PhD, of Erasmus University in Rotterdam, found that affected family members had a mutation in a gene called SLC11A3 (a gene that is similar to other genes known to play a role in iron . . . [Full Text of this Article]