XK is involved in transporting manganese. (A–D) Mn accumulation in SThdhQ7/Q7 cells was elevated and reduced upon ectopic expression (A and B) and knockdown (C and D) of XK, respectively. SThdhQ7/Q7 cells were transfected with pcDNA3.1-XK or empty vector (Mock) or XK-specific or Scramble siRNA. After exposure to Mn, cells were harvested for verifying changes in expression levels of XK by Western blot analysis (A and C) and for measuring the contents of cellular Mn (B and D). Blot analyses shown in A and C were obtained from one of the three experiments. (E and F) Expression of dArab11 in SThdhQ111/Q111 cells promotes Mn accumulation in an XK-dependent manner. SThdhQ111/Q111 cells were transfected with plasmids expressing dsRed-dArab11 along with XK-specific or Scramble siRNA. After Mn exposure, cells were collected for Western blot analysis (E) and measurement of cellular Mn (F). Data in B, D, and F are mean ± SD. One-way ANOVA and post hoc Tukey’s analysis: F_(3,8) = 619.5, P < 0.0001 (B), F_(3,8) = 81.47, P < 0.0001 (D), F_(5,12) = 144, P < 0.0001 (F); Tukey’s test: # P < 0.0001. Source data are available for this figure: SourceData F5.