Choline kinase and ethanolamine kinase activity in the cytosol of nerve endings from rat forebrain

Both choline kinase and ethanolamine kinase are present in the cytosol of nerve endings prepared from rat brain are the products of their action, phosphocholine (84 nmol/g fresh wt. of brain) and phosphoethanolamine (190 nmol/g fresh wt. of brain). In contrast with the enzymes from the cytosol of whole brain, both are as equally active at pH 7.5 as 9.0. Determination of kinase activity in membrane-containing tissue samples at pH9 gives low values because of the activity of alkaline phosphatase. Choline kinase, but not ethanolamine kinase, requires Mg2+ in excess of that required for the formation of the MgATP complex and is inhibited by an excess of free ATP. The Km for choline is 2.6mM and for ethanolamine is 2.2mM. The differing requirements for ATP and Mg2+ and the inhibition of choline kinase, but not ethanolamine kinase, by hemicholinium-3 suggest either the presence of two separate enzymes or two different active sites on the same enzyme.