A direct comparison of divalent metal-ion transporter (DMT1) and hinokitiol, a potential small molecule replacement

Hinokitiol, a natural lipophilic chelator, appears capable of replacing several iron transporters after they have been genetically ablated. Divalent metal-ion transporter (DMT1) is the major iron importer in enterocytes and erythroblasts. We have compared DMT1 and hinokitiol in multiple fashions to learn if the smaller molecule is a suitable substitute using two HEK293 cell lines engineered to overexpress different isoforms of DMT1. Both the macromolecule and the lipophilic chelator enable import of ferrous ions into HEK293 cells. Hinokitiol also mediates ferric ion import but DMT1 cannot do so. While DMT1 can also import Mn²⁺ ions, hinokitiol lacks this ability. The Michaelis–Menten analysis for kinetics of macromolecular catalysis is also suitable for hinokitiol-supported iron import. To compare hinokitiol to DMT1 relative to other metal ions that DMT1 can transport, we employed an organic extraction procedure with which we initially matched the results obtained for Fe²⁺, Fe³⁺ and Mn²⁺, and then showed that multiple other cations were unlikely to enter via hinokitiol. The small chelator thus shares some functional properties with DMT1, but distinct difference were also noted.