Development of a new and reliable assay for choline kinase using (31)P NMR

Choline kinase catalyzes the conversion of choline to phosphocholine (PC) by transferring a phosphate group from adenosine triphosphate (ATP) as the first step in the biosynthetic pathway for the membrane phospholipid phosphatidylcholine, an essential pathway in the Leishmania parasitic protozoan. Commonly used methods for kinetically quantifying the enzyme include a radioisotope assay utilizing labeled choline and a coupled spectrophotometric assay with multiple enzymes and substrates that indirectly measures choline kinase activity. When testing potential inhibitors with the coupled assay, results can cast doubt on whether choline kinase is being inhibited or one of the coupled enzymes. Therefore, (31)P NMR spectroscopy was used to quantitatively measure the formation of the key product, phosphocholine, and to evaluate choline kinase activity. Interrogation of (31)P NMR spectroscopy offers a number of benefits. Since this isotope is 100% abundant and has a relatively large gyromagnetic ratio, it is considered one of the more sensitive nuclides. As such, the need for costly isotopic enriched phosphorous is not required and detection of the (31)P signal is possible even at relatively low concentrations. The enzymatic activity of Leishmania infantum choline kinase was able to be directly measured via integration of the (31)P resonance associated with the phosphocholine product (δ = 3.94 ppm). These initial studies reveal that a (31)P NMR spectroscopic-based assay could be used for testing substrate or transition state analogs as competitive inhibitors of Leishmania choline kinase that may prevent phosphatidylcholine synthesis in the parasite.