Regulation of phosphatidylcholine metabolism in mammalian cells. Isolation and characterization of a Chinese hamster ovary cell pleiotropic mutant defective in both choline kinase and choline-exchange reaction activities.

By means of an in situ autoradiographic assay for the base-exchange reaction of phospholipids with L-serine in Chinese hamster ovary cell colonies immobilized on filter paper ( Esko , J.D. and Raetz , C.R.H. (1978) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 75, 1190-1193), a mutant (designated 89.1) was isolated in which the specific activity of the serine-exchange enzyme was about 2-fold less than in the parent. Unexpectedly, it was demonstrated that in extracts of the mutant the specific activities of both ATP:choline phosphotransferase (choline kinase) (EC 2.7.1.32) and the enzyme that catalyzes the base-exchange of phospholipids with choline (choline-exchange enzyme) were strikingly reduced (3- to 4-fold and 10- to 15-fold, respectively), while the specific activities of other enzymes of phosphatidylcholine synthesis were normal. Several lines of evidence presented here suggested that the partial defect of serine-exchange activity in this mutant was due to a decrease of acceptor phospholipid(s) for the reaction. The growth rates and phospholipid compositions of the mutant and parent were quite similar. However, mutant 89.1 exhibited a significant defect in its ability in vivo to synthesize phosphatidylcholine. The fact that the mutant was also defective in phosphorylcholine biosynthesis in vivo, together with the finding of an enzymatic lesion of the mutant in choline kinse in vitro as described above, clearly demonstrated that with respect to the reduced phosphatidylcholine biosynthesis the primary defect was at the level of choline kinase. In addition to the decreased synthetic rate of phosphatidylcholine, the turnover rate of phosphatidylcholine was also reduced approximately 2-fold in this mutant. These decreased rates of both synthesis and degradation of phosphatidylcholine probably account for the identical phosphatidylcholine contents between the mutant and parent. As a conclusion, it may be given that strain 89.1 is a pleiotropic mutant which possesses several alterations in phosphatidylcholine metabolism, and such mammalian mutants have not been isolated previously.