Occurrence of choline in Lactobacillus plantarum

When Lactobacillus plantarum 8014 was grown on a Trypticase Soy Broth (TSB) type of medium, choline accumulated within the cells, whereas when the same organism was grown on a semisynthetic medium, no choline accumulation was observed. Only the addition of choline O-sulfate resulted in the accumulation of choline in cells grown on semisynthetic medium to the extent seen in cells grown on TSB medium. The choline of TSB-grown cells is shown to be non-lipoidal and to occur in the cells as free choline, choline O-sulfate, and choline O-phosphate. No choline was detected in the cell wall of the choline-containing cells.