HAMP and Iron deficiency anemia: In contrast, hepcidin expression is decreased by iron deficiency, ineffective erythropoiesis, and hypoxia, with resulting increases in iron absorption from the intestine and release of iron from macrophages.25 Mutations in human disease or murine knockouts of the genes for HFE, hemojuvelin, hepcidin, or TfR2 decrease hepcidin expression with a resulting increase in intestinal iron absorption via up-regulation of ferroportin levels in enterocytes.25