Iron decompartimentalization in treated β thalassemic mice.

Erythrocyte ghosts and inside-out membranes (IOMs) were prepared from normal mice (▤), heterozygous C57Bl/6^Hbbth mice (▩), and β thalassemic C57Bl/6^Hbbth mice before treatment (■), and at 4 (▪) and 11 (░) weeks after naked DNA injection. Free iron (A) and nonheme iron (B) were measured in ghosts by spectrophotometry. Heme iron was measured in IOMs via ferrozine reactivity (C).