Choline Kinase: An Unexpected Journey for a Precision Medicine Strategy in Human Diseases
- Pharmaceutics. 2021 May 25;13(6):788. doi: 10.3390/pharmaceutics13060788.
- 1. Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, CSIC, 28029 Madrid, Spain.
- 2. Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Hospital La Paz, IDIPAZ, 28046 Madrid, Spain.
- 3. Food Microbiology and Biotechnology Laboratory, Department of Family and Consumer Sciences, College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, North Carolina University, 1601 East Market Street, Greensboro, NC 27411, USA.
- 4. Departamento de Química Farmacéutica y Orgánica, Facultad de Farmacia, c/Campus de Cartuja, s/n, Universidad de Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain.
- 5. Instituto Biosanitario de Granada (ibs. GRANADA), SAS-Universidad de Granada, 18071 Granada, Spain.
Choline Kinase (ChoK) is a cytosolic enzyme that catalyzes the phosphorylation of choline to form phosphorylcholine (PCho) in the presence of ATP and magnesium. ChoK is required for the synthesis of key membrane Phospholipids and is involved in malignant transformation in a large variety of human tumours. Active compounds against ChoK have been identified and proposed as antitumor agents. The ChoK inhibitory and antiproliferative activities of symmetrical bispyridinium and bisquinolinium compounds have been defined using quantitative structure-activity relationships (QSARs) and structural parameters. The design strategy followed in the development of the most active molecules is presented. The selective Anticancer activity of these structures is also described. One promising Anticancer compound has even entered clinical trials. Recently, ChoKα inhibitors have also been proposed as a novel therapeutic approach against parasites, rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory processes, and pathogenic bacteria. The evidence for ChoKα as a novel drug target for approaches in precision medicine is discussed.