Choline is an essential nutrient for humans, though some of the requirement can be met by endogenous synthesis catalyzed by phosphatidylethanolamine N-methyltransferase (PEMT). Premenopausal women are relatively resistant to choline deficiency compared with postmenopausal women and men. Studies in animals suggest that estrogen treatment can increase PEMT activity. In this study we investigated ...

Streptococcus pneumoniae is an important human pathogen that has an absolute nutritional requirement for choline. Replacement of this amino alcohol in a synthetic medium by structural analogues, such as ethanolamine (EA cells), leads to alterations in several physiological properties including cell separation (Tomasz, 1968, Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 59: 86–93). Identical changes including chain fo...

SacIp dysfunction results in bypass of the requirement for phosphatidylinositol transfer protein (Sec14p) function in yeast Golgi processes. This effect is accompanied by alterations in inositol phospholipid metabolism and inositol auxotrophy. Elucidation of how sac1 mutants effect "bypass Sec14p" will provide insights into Sec14p function in vivo. We now report that, in addition to a dramatic ...

Choline-binding modules (CBMs) have a ββ-solenoid structure composed of choline-binding repeats (CBR), which consist of a β-hairpin followed by a short linker. To find minimal peptides that are able to maintain the CBR native structure and to evaluate their remaining choline-binding ability, we have analysed the third β-hairpin of the CBM from the pneumococcal LytA autolysin. Circular dichroism...

infertility can be caused by an unexplained reduction in semen quality in males who present asnormal on physical examination and endocrine testing. there is some evidence that aberrantmetabolism of micronutrients such as choline may play a causative role in male factorinfertility. choline is a crucial factor in the regulation of sperm membrane structure andmotility, and this nutrient plays an i...

In an extension of the work of Broad & Dawson (1975) on phospholipid biosynthesis in the anaerobic protozoon Entodinium caudatum we have characterized a number of aspects of phosphatidylcholine biosynthesis which, in this organism, is exclusively through the phosphorylcholine, CDP-choline pathway. Initial studies have centred on the subcellular distribution of the enzymes involved in the overal...

The rate of multiplication of a population of cultured human lung fibroblasts is determined by the level of common nutrients and serum factors in the medium. By application of the principles of Henri--Michaelis--Menten kinetic analysis to cell growth in vitro, the relationship between the level of a macromolecular fraction of serum that contains growth factors and the concentration of individua...

α-amino nitriles are synthesized in a one-pot, three-component coupling of aldehydes (or ketones), aniline, and trimethylsilyl cyanide using a catalytic amount of choline chloride.2zncl2 as a bio lewis acidic ionic liquid. mild lewis acidic characteristic of this ionic liquid allows efficient synthesis of α-amino nitriles from acid sensitive aldehydes.

BACKGROUND Choline is an essential nutrient for humans, and part of this requirement is met by endogenous synthesis catalyzed by hepatic phosphatidylethanolamine N-methyltransferase (PEMT). PEMT activity is difficult to estimate in humans because it requires a liver biopsy. Previously, we showed that mice that lack functional PEMT have dramatically reduced concentrations of docosahexaenoic acid...