HFE

HFE encodes an MHC class I-like membrane protein expressed in intestinal crypt cells and hepatocytes that normally interacts with transferrin receptors and helps regulate hepcidin, the hormone that controls dietary iron absorption. Mutations in HFE, most commonly C282Y and H63D, disrupt this regulation and cause excess iron uptake, making HFE the primary gene underlying hereditary hemochromatosis, the iron-overload risk assessed here.