On the role of choline in natural DNA transformation in Streptococcus pneumoniae

Under laboratory conditions, DNA transformation of Streptococcus pneumoniae is facilitated by the addition of the Competence Stimulating Peptide (CSP). We recently showed that CSP can be dispensable for natural transformation but this depends on both the strains and the growth medium. This transcriptomics study shows that an increase in the concentration of a single metabolite, i..e choline, or a single point mutation in a gene related to this metabolite can impact natural transformation.