Choline metabolism in pneumococci

Abstract

Phosphorylcholine and cytidine diphosphocholine as well as two enzyme activities, a choline kinase and a cytidine diphosphocholine pyrophosphorylase, were identifed in pneumococcal extracts. It is suggested that cytidine diphosphocholine may be a biosynthetic precursor of the choline moiety in the teichoic acids of pneumococcus.