Uptake and incorporation of choline and ethanolamine into lipoteichoic acid and teichoic acid by the choline-independent mutant JY2190 of Streptococcus pneumoniae.

Lipoteichoic acid- and teichoic acid-containing muropeptides were isolated from choline- or ethanolamine-grown cells of the choline-independent mutant JY2190 of Streptococcus pneumoniae. Choline was taken up and incorporated into lipoteichoic acid and teichoic acid with 81% efficiency, compared with the parent strain Rx1. With similar efficiency, ethanolamine was incorporated. Accordingly, the mutant is a valuable tool for identifying the individual genes encoding the enzymes of choline utilisation, because any of these genes can be deleted without affecting viability and growth rate.