Engraftment of bone marrow-derived cells in the liver, spleen, and duodenum. Total RNA was isolated from the (A) liver, (B) spleen, and (C) duodenum 14 weeks after BMT and was used to synthesize cDNA. (left) cDNA was PCR amplified with one set of primers spanning exons 3 and 6 of the mouse Hfe gene (primers Hfe) and the products were visualized by ethidium bromide staining in 1.0% agarose gels. In Hfe^-/- → wt mice, but not in wt → wt mice, the amplification product of donor Hfe^-/- mice (Hfe, 499 bp) appears in wt recipient mice (wt, 775 bp) after transplantation. Conversely, in wt → Hfe^-/- mice, but not in Hfe^-/- → Hfe^-/- mice, the amplification product of donor wt mice (wt, 775 bp) appears in Hfe^-/- recipient mice (Hfe, 499 bp) after transplantation. One representative mouse is shown per BMT group. (right) Quantification of donor Hfe mRNA by qRT-PCR and normalized to Gapdh. Two distinct sets of primers were used—neoHfe and wtHfe—shown separately in the graphs. neoHfe/Gapdh × 10³ and wtHfe/Gapdh × 10³ ratios are presented. Results are mean ± SD (n = 6-12 mice per group).