title: Investigation of a choline phosphate synthesis pathway in Streptococcus pneumoniae: evidence for choline phosphate cytidylyltransferase activity.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Microbiology, Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine, London, UK.
authors.forename: G C
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Whiting
authors.forename: S H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Gillespie
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000737:chemistry; D001483:Base Sequence; D002240:Carbohydrate Sequence; D019916:Choline-Phosphate Cytidylyltransferase; D017124:Conserved Sequence; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000235:genetics; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009713:Nucleotidyltransferases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D010767:Phosphorylcholine / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics; D013296:Streptococcus pneumoniae / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D013682:Teichoic Acids / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D017931:DNA Primers; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D013682:Teichoic Acids; D010767:Phosphorylcholine; C009900:lipoteichoic acid; D009713:Nucleotidyltransferases; D019916:Choline-Phosphate Cytidylyltransferase