Investigation of a choline phosphate synthesis pathway in Streptococcus pneumoniae: evidence for choline phosphate cytidylyltransferase activity

In this study we have demonstrated the activity of a choline phosphate cytidylyltransferase in cell free extracts of Streptococcus pneumoniae. Southern blot analysis of restricted S. pneumoniae genomic DNA probed with the gene coding for the choline phosphate cytidylyltransferase of Saccharomyces cerevisiae demonstrated that there is homology between the S. cerevisiae cct gene and genomic DNA of S. pneumoniae. We believe that this enzyme is involved in the biosynthesis of the choline containing cell wall antigens, teichoic acid and lipoteichoic acid, catalysing the activation of choline phosphate to CDP-choline which is then incorporated into the polysaccharide moiety.