Identification, characterization, and cellular localization of Leishmania major CTP:phosphocholine cytidylyltransferase

The eukaryotic parasite Leishmania is the causative agent of the disease leishmaniasis, the second largest parasitic killer in the world behind malaria. A large percentage of Leishmania membrane phospholipids is phosphatidylcholine (PC), formed via the Kennedy pathway, where the enzyme CTP: phosphocholine cytidylyltransferase (CCT) catalyzes the second, rate limiting step. Leishmania major CCT was expressed in non-pathogenic Leishmania tarentolae and exhibited activity that increased 10-fold in the presence of PC:oleate lipid vesicles. Confocal microscopy of L. tarentolae expressing L. major CCT fused to a red fluorescent protein revealed the enzyme is cytoplasmic but may associate with internal membranes. A truncated mutant of L. major CCT containing the catalytic domain was expressed in Escherichia coli and in vitro analysis of the enzyme showed catalysis was divalent cation-dependent and yielded a Vmax of 374 nmol/min/mg and Km values of 0.0648 mM and 3.74 mM, respectively, for the substrates CTP and phosphocholine. •L. major CCT is cytoplasmic but may associate with internal membranes.•L. major CCT catalysis is divalent cation dependent.•L. major CCT is modestly activated by association with anionic lipid vesicles.