Evaluation of the role of three candidate human kinases in the conversion of the hepatitis C virus inhibitor 2′-C-methyl-cytidine to its 5′-monophosphate metabolite

Nucleoside analogs are effective inhibitors of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) in the clinical setting. One such molecule, 2′-C-methyl-cytidine (2′-MeC), entered clinical development as NM283, a valine ester prodrug form of 2′-MeC possessing improved oral bioavailability. To be active against HCV, 2′-MeC must be converted to 2′-MeC triphosphate which inhibits NS5B, the HCV RNA-dependent RNA polymerase. Conversion of 2′-MeC to 2′-MeC monophosphate is the first step in 2′-MeC triphosphate production and is thought to be the rate-limiting step. Here we investigate which of three possible enzymes, deoxycytidine kinase (dCK), uridine–cytidine kinase 1 (UCK1), or uridine–cytidine kinase 2 (UCK2), mediate this first phosphorylation step. Purified recombinant enzymes UCK2 and dCK, but not UCK1, could phosphorylate 2′-MeC in vitro. However, siRNA knockdown experiments in three human cell lines (HeLa, Huh7 and HepG2) defined UCK2 and not dCK as the key kinase for the formation of 2′-MeC monophosphate in cultured human cells. These results underscore the importance of confirming enzymatic kinase data with appropriate cell-based assays. Finally, we present data suggesting that inefficient phosphorylation by UCK2 likely limits the antiviral activity of 2′-MeC against HCV. This paves the way for the use of a nucleotide prodrug approach to overcome this limitation.