expression of the fam132b gene in iranian patients with beta-thalassemia

Background: iron homeostasis is a complex process involving multiple factors. erythroblasts secrete erythroferrone (erfe), which affects hepcidin production, thereby enhancing iron uptake. this study aimed to investigate the expression of the erfe-encoding fam132b gene in iranian patients with beta-thalassemia major (btm) and beta-thalassemia intermedia (bti).materials and methods: a total of 40 btm and bti patients and 20 healthy blood donors as a control group were recruited. total rna was extracted from whole blood samples, and cdna was synthesized. gene expression was quantified using a sybr green-based real-time pcr (rt-pcr) assay. data analysis was performed by the graphpad prism program using the one-way anova test.results: the expression of the fam132b gene was upregulated in bti patients compared to btm patients (p = 0.0151). despite the higher mrna fold change in bti patients, no significant difference was observed in the fam132b gene expression between beta-thalassemia patients (major and intermedia) and the control group.conclusion: the expression of the fam132b gene was different between beta-thalassemia major and intermedia patients. further studies should be conducted to better elucidate the role of erythroferrone as a potential therapeutic target in patients with beta-thalassemia.