Bartnikas Lab
Principal Investigator: Thomas Benedict Bartnikas
Institution: Brown University (Providence, RI)
Primary Subfield: Molecular & Cell Bio
Recruitment Status: ✅ Hiring Postdocs
Research Focus
PROJECT SUMMARY: “Balancing Iron and Manganese Homeostasis in Hereditary Hemochromatosis” Iron (Fe) and manganese (Mn) are essential for health yet toxic in excess. Fe is regulated largely by dietary absorption, while Mn is regulated largely by hepatobiliary excretion. Our understanding of Fe homeostasis has benefited greatly from studies of inherited defects in Fe transport. Our understanding of Mn homeostasis was limited in the past by a paucity of known inherited defects in Mn transport. This changed in 2012-16 with the first discoveries of inherited causes of Mn imbalance in patients with mutations in SLC30A10, SLC39A14, and SLC39A8. These membrane proteins dictate systemic Mn levels by mediating hepatobiliary and intestinal Mn transport. We previously reported that SLC30A10 deficiency results in Mn excess because SLC30A10 exports Mn from hepatocytes into bile and from enterocytes into the lumen of the gastrointestinal tract. More recently, we demonstrated that, despite impaired Mn excretion, Slc30a10-deficient mice develop increased Mn absorption. Intriguingly, this increased absorption is dependent upon divalent metal transporter 1 (DMT1) and ferroportin (FPN), two factors es…
Active NIH Awards
- 1R01DK148124-01: Balancing Iron and Manganese Homeostasis in Hereditary Hemochromatosis (2026)
- 5R01DK110049-10: Molecular Basis of Mammalian Manganese Homeostasis (2025)
- 5R01DK110049-09: Molecular Basis of Mammalian Manganese Homeostasis (2024)
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