A mouse model of inherited choline kinase ß-deficiency presents with specific cardiac abnormalities and a predisposition to arrhythmia.

The CHKB gene encodes choline kinase ß, which catalyzes the first step in the biosynthetic pathway for the major phospholipid phosphatidylcholine. Homozygous loss-of-function variants in human CHKB are associated with a congenital muscular dystrophy. Dilated cardiomyopathy is present in some CHKB patients and can cause heart failure and death. Mechanisms underlying a cardiac phenotype due to decreased CHKB levels are not well characterized. We determined that there is cardiac hypertrophy in Chkb-/- mice along with a decrease in left ventricle size, internal diameter, and stroke volume compared with wildtype and Chkb+/- mice. Unlike wildtype mice, 60% of the Chkb+/- and all Chkb-/- mice tested displayed arrhythmic events when challenged with isoproterenol. Lipidomic analysis revealed that the major change in lipid level in Chkb+/- and Chkb-/- hearts was an increase in the arrhythmogenic lipid acylcarnitine. An increase in acylcarnitine level is also associated with a defect in the ability of mitochondria to use fatty acids for energy and we observed that mitochondria from Chkb-/- hearts had abnormal cristae and inefficient electron transport chain activity. Atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) is a hormone produced by the heart that protects against the development of heart failure including ventricular conduction defects. We determined that there was a decrease in expression of ANP, its receptor NPRA, as well as ventricular conduction system markers in Chkb+/- and Chkb-/- mice.

Tratamiento de la deficiencia en colina cinasa beta con citicolin / Treatment of choline kinase beta deficiency with citicoline

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[Treatment of choline kinase beta deficiency with citicoline]. / Tratamiento de la deficiencia en colina cinasa beta con citicolina.

TITLE: Tratamiento de la deficiencia en colina cinasa beta con citicolina.

Investigation of discriminant metabolites in tamoxifen-resistant and choline kinase-alpha-downregulated breast cancer cells using 1H-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy.

Metabolites linked to changes in choline kinase-α (CK-α) expression and drug resistance, which contribute to survival and autophagy mechanisms, are attractive targets for breast cancer therapies. We previously reported that autophagy played a causative role in driving tamoxifen (TAM) resistance of breast cancer cells (BCCs) and was also promoted by CK-α knockdown, resulting in the survival of TAM-resistant BCCs. There is no comparative study yet about the metabolites resulting from BCCs with TAM-resistance and CK-α knockdown. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore the discriminant metabolic biomarkers responsible for TAM resistance as well as CK-α expression, which might be linked with autophagy through a protective role. A total of 33 intracellular metabolites, including a range of amino acids, energy metabolism-related molecules and others from cell extracts of the parental cells (MCF-7), TAM-resistant cells (MCF-7/TAM) and CK-α knockdown cells (MCF-7/shCK-α, MCF-7/TAM/shCK-α) were analyzed by proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-NMRS). Principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least square discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) revealed the existence of differences in the intracellular metabolites to separate the 4 groups: MCF-7 cells, MCF-7/TAM cells, MCF-7-shCK-α cells, and MCF-7/TAM/shCK-α cells. The metabolites with VIP>1 contributed most to the differentiation of the cell groups, and they included fumarate, UA (unknown A), lactate, myo-inositol, glycine, phosphocholine, UE (unknown E), glutamine, formate, and AXP (AMP/ADP/ATP). Our results suggest that these altered metabolites would be promising metabolic biomarkers for a targeted therapeutic strategy in BCCs that exhibit TAM-resistance and aberrant CK-α expression, which triggers a survival and drug resistance mechanism.

Molecular structure and differential function of choline kinases CHKα and CHKß in musculoskeletal system and cancer.

Choline, a hydrophilic cation, has versatile physiological roles throughout the body, including cholinergic neurotransmission, memory consolidation and membrane biosynthesis and metabolism. Choline kinases possess enzyme activity that catalyses the conversion of choline to phosphocholine, which is further converted to cytidine diphosphate-coline (CDP-choline) in the biosynthesis of phosphatidylcholine (PC). PC is a major constituent of the phospholipid bilayer which constitutes the eukaryotic cell membrane, and regulates cell signal transduction. Choline Kinase consists of three isoforms, CHKα1, CHKα2 and CHKß, encoded by two separate genes (CHKA(Human)/Chka(Mouse) and CHKB(Human)/Chkb(Mouse)). Both isoforms have similar structures and enzyme activity, but display some distinct molecular structural domains and differential tissue expression patterns. Whilst Choline Kinase was discovered in early 1950, its pivotal role in the development of muscular dystrophy, bone deformities, and cancer has only recently been identified. CHKα has been proposed as a cancer biomarker and its inhibition as an anti-cancer therapy. In contrast, restoration of CHKß deficiency through CDP-choline supplements like citicoline may be beneficial for the treatment of muscular dystrophy, bone metabolic diseases, and cognitive conditions. The molecular structure and expression pattern of Choline Kinase, the differential roles of Choline Kinase isoforms and their potential as novel therapeutic targets for muscular dystrophy, bone deformities, cognitive conditions and cancer are discussed.

[New congenital muscular dystrophy due to CHKB mutations].

Congenital muscular dystrophy with mitochondrial structural abnormalities (MIM #602541), or also called megaconial congenital muscular dystrophy, is characterized clinically by early-onset muscle wasting and severe mental retardation, and pathologically by peculiar enlarged mitochondria that are prevalent toward the periphery of the fibers but are sparse in the center on muscle biopsy. Based upon the similarity in the pathological features to rmd mouse which has a recessive mutation in Chkb gene encoding the choline kinase ß that catalyzes first enzymatic step in a biosynthetic pathway for phosphatidylcholine, we have sequenced the CHKB gene in 15 patients with the disease and identified identified biallelic mutations in all patients. In muscle of three affected individuals with nonsense mutations, choline kinase activities were undetectable, and phosphatidylcholine levels were decreased while phosphatidylethanolamine levels were unchanged. Recombinant CHKB with identified missense mutations also showed reduced choline kinase activity, indicating that the disease is caused by the loss-of-function mutations in CHKB. Furthermore, mitochondria in the center of muscle fibers were subjected to autophagy on electron microscopy and these mitochondria did not have cytochrome c oxidase activity. The expression of parkin, PINK1, LC3, polyubiquitin, and p62 was upregulated in rmd muscles, indicating that mitochondria are eliminated by mitophagy.

Noninvasive detection of lentiviral-mediated choline kinase targeting in a human breast cancer xenograft.

Elevated phosphocholine (PC) and total choline (tCho) metabolites are widely established characteristics of most cancer cells, including breast cancer. Effective silencing of choline kinase (chk), the enzyme that converts choline to PC, is associated with reduced tumor growth. The functional importance and down-regulation of chk using RNA interference has been previously established. Here, we report on the preclinical evaluation of lentiviral vector-mediated down-regulation of chk using short hairpin RNA (shRNA) in established tumors derived from human breast cancer cells. Concentrated lentivirus expressing shRNA against chk was injected i.v. in the tail vein of MDA-MB-231 tumor-bearing female severe combined immunodeficient mice. Transduction efficiency in cells and tumors in vivo was assessed optically by enhanced green fluorescent protein expression and additionally from chk mRNA and protein levels. An 80% reduction in chk mRNA and protein was achieved following approximately 90% transduction efficiency in cells. After transduction with chk-shRNA, (1)H magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) of cell and tumor extracts showed decreases in PC and tCho levels (P < 0.01 and 0.05, respectively) in comparison with controls. PC levels were monitored noninvasively by (31)P MRS in tumors and by (1)H MRS in cell and tumor tissue extracts. Noninvasive (31)P MR spectra of chk-shRNA-transduced tumors in vivo showed lower PC and phosphomonoester levels that were associated with reduced tumor growth and proliferation. This study shows the use of lentiviral vectors to target chk in a human breast cancer xenograft and noninvasive MRS detection of this targeting.

Understanding the muscular dystrophy caused by deletion of choline kinase beta in mice.

Choline kinase in mice is encoded by two genes, Chka and Chkb. Disruption of murine Chka leads to embryonic lethality, whereas a spontaneously occurring genomic deletion in murine Chkb results in neonatal bone deformity and hindlimb muscular dystrophy. We have investigated the mechanism by which a lack of choline kinase beta, encoded by Chkb, causes hindlimb muscular dystrophy. The biosynthesis of phosphatidylcholine (PC) is impaired in the hindlimbs of Chkb -/- mice, with an accumulation of choline and decreased amount of phosphocholine. The activity of CTP: phosphocholine cytidylyltransferase is also decreased in the hindlimb muscle of mutant mice. Concomitantly, the activities of PC phospholipase C and phospholipase A2 are increased. The mitochondria in Chkb -/- mice are abnormally large and exhibit decreased inner membrane potential. Despite the muscular dystrophy in Chkb -/- mice, we observed increased expression of insulin like growth factor 1 and proliferating cell nuclear antigen. However, regeneration of hindlimb muscles of Chkb -/- mice was impaired when challenged with cardiotoxin. Injection of CDP-choline increased PC content of hindlimb muscle and decreased creatine kinase activity in plasma of Chkb -/- mice. We conclude that the hindlimb muscular dystrophy in Chkb -/- mice is due to attenuated PC biosynthesis and enhanced catabolism of PC.