Functional and topological analysis of phosphatidylcholine synthase from Sinorhizobium meliloti

Phosphatidylcholine (PC) is the major membrane-forming phospholipid in eukaryotes and is estimated to be present in about 15% of eubacteria. It can be synthesized in bacteria by either of two pathways, the phospholipid N-methylation pathway or the phosphatidylcholine synthase (Pcs) pathway. Pcs belongs to the CDP-alcohol phosphotransferase superfamily and synthesizes PC and CMP in one step from CDP-diacylglycerol and choline. In this study, we aligned sequences of characterized Pcs enzymes to identify conserved amino acid residues. Alanine scanning mutagenesis was performed on 55 of these conserved residues. The mutation of nine residues caused a drastic to complete loss (< 20% of wild type activity) of Pcs activity. Six of these essential residues were subjected to further mutagenesis studies replacing them by amino acids with similar properties or size. A topological analysis of sinorhizobial Pcs showed the presence of eight transmembrane helices, with the C- and N-terminus located in the cytoplasm. The majority of the conserved residues is predicted to be either located within the cytoplasmic loops or on the cytoplasmic side of the membrane which can be expected for an enzyme using one membrane-associated and one soluble substrate.     

Phosphatidylcholine biosynthesis and function in bacteria

Phosphatidylcholine (PC) is the major membrane-forming phospholipid in eukaryotes and is estimated to be present in about 15% of the domain Bacteria. Usually, PC can be synthesized in bacteria by either of two pathways, the phospholipid N-methylation (Pmt) pathway or the phosphatidylcholine synthase (Pcs) pathway. The three subsequent enzymatic methylations of phosphatidylethanolamine are performed by a single phospholipid N-methyltransferase in some bacteria whereas other bacteria possess multiple phospholipid N-methyltransferases each one performing one or several distinct methylation steps. Phosphatidylcholine synthase condenses choline directly with CDP-diacylglycerol to form CMP and PC. Like in eukaryotes, bacterial PC also functions as a biosynthetic intermediate during the formation of other biomolecules such as choline, diacylglycerol, or diacylglycerol-based phosphorus-free membrane lipids. Bacterial PC may serve as a specific recognition molecule but it affects the physicochemical properties of bacterial membranes as well. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled Phospholipids and Phospholipid Metabolism.     

Pseudomonas aeruginosa synthesizes phosphatidylcholine by use of the phosphatidylcholine synthase pathway

Phosphatidylcholine (PC) is a ubiquitous membrane lipid in eukaryotes but has been found in only a limited number of prokaryotes. Both eukaryotes and prokaryotes synthesize PC by methylating phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) by use of a phospholipid methyltransferase (Pmt). Eukaryotes can synthesize PC by the activation of choline to form choline phosphate and then CDP-choline. The CDP-choline then condenses with diacylglycerol (DAG) to form PC. In contrast, prokaryotes condense choline directly with CDP-DAG by use of the enzyme PC synthase (Pcs). PmtA was the first enzyme identified in prokaryotes that catalyzes the synthesis of PC, and Pcs in Sinorhizobium meliloti was characterized. The completed release of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 genomic sequence contains on open reading frame predicted to encode a protein that is highly homologous (35% identity, 54% similarity) to PmtA from Rhodobacter sphaeroides. Moreover, the P. aeruginosa PAO1 genome encodes a protein with significant homology (39% amino acid identity) to Pcs of S. meliloti. Both the pcs and pmtA homologues were cloned from PAO1, and homologous sequences were found in almost all of the P. aeruginosa strains examined. Although the pathway for synthesizing PC by use of Pcs is functional in P. aeruginosa, it does not appear that this organism uses the PmtA pathway for PC synthesis. We demonstrate that the PC synthesized by P. aeruginosa PAO1 localized to both the inner and outer membranes, where it is readily accessible to its periplasmic, PC-specific phospholipase D.     

A pair of membrane-embedded acidic residues in the NuoK subunit of Escherichia coli NDH-1, a counterpart of the ND4L subunit of the mitochondrial complex I, are required for high ubiquinone reductase activity

The ND4L subunit of mitochondrial NADH:ubiquinone oxidoreductase (complex I) is an integral membrane protein that contains two highly conserved glutamates within putative trans-membrane helices. We employed complex I from Escherichia coli (NDH-1) to study the role of these residues by site-directed mutagenesis. The conserved glutamates of the NuoK subunit, E36 and E72, were replaced by either Asp or Gln residues, and the effects of the mutations on cell growth and catalysis of electron transfer from deamino-NADH to ubiquinone analogues were examined. Additional mutants that carried acidic residues at selected positions within this domain were also prepared and analyzed. The results indicated that two closely located membrane-embedded acidic residues in NuoK are essential for high rates of ubiquinone reduction, a prerequisite for the growth of cytochrome bo-deficient E. coli cells on malate as the main carbon source. The two acidic residues do not have to be on adjacent helices, and mutual location on the same helix, either helix 2 or 3, at an interval of three amino acids (about one turn of the putative helix), resulted in high activity and good growth phenotypes. Nevertheless, shifting only one of them, either E36 or E72, toward the periplasmic side of the membrane by about one turn of the helix severely hampered activity and growth, whereas moving both acidic residues together to that deeper membrane position stimulated the ubiquinone reductase activity of the enzyme but not cell growth on malate, suggesting impaired energy conservation in this mutant.     

Topology and active site of PlsY: the bacterial acylphosphate:glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase

The most widely distributed biosynthetic pathway to initiate phosphatidic acid formation in bacterial membrane phospholipid biosynthesis involves the conversion of acyl-acyl carrier protein to acylphosphate by PlsX and the transfer of the acyl group from acylphosphate to glycerol 3-phosphate by an integral membrane protein, PlsY. The membrane topology of Streptococcus pneumoniae PlsY was determined using the substituted cysteine accessibility method. PlsY has five membrane-spanning segments with the amino terminus and two short loops located on the external face of the membrane. Each of the three larger cytoplasmic domains contains a highly conserved sequence motif. Site-directed mutagenesis revealed that each conserved domain was critical for PlsY catalysis. Motif 1 had an essential serine and arginine residue. Motif 2 had the characteristics of a phosphate-binding loop. Mutations of the conserved glycines in motif 2 to alanines resulted in a Km defect for glycerol 3-phosphate binding leading to the conclusion that this motif corresponded to the glycerol 3-phosphate binding site. Motif 3 contained a conserved histidine and asparagine that were important for activity and a glutamate that was critical to the structural integrity of PlsY. PlsY was noncompetitively inhibited by palmitoyl-CoA. These data define the membrane architecture and the critical active site residues in the PlsY family of bacterial acyltransferases.     

Inactivation of the gene for phospholipid N-methyltransferase in Sinorhizobium meliloti: phosphatidylcholine is required for normal growth

In phosphatidylcholine (PC)-containing prokaryotes, only the methylation pathway of PC biosynthesis was thought to occur. However, a second choline-dependent pathway for PC formation, the PC synthase (Pcs) pathway, exists in Sinorhizobium (Rhizobium) meliloti in which choline is condensed with CDP-diacylglyceride. Here, we characterize the methylation pathway of PC biosynthesis in S. meliloti. A mutant deficient in phospholipid N-methyltransferase (Pmt) was complemented with a S. meliloti gene bank and the complementing DNA was sequenced. A gene coding for a S-adenosylmethionine-dependent N-methyltransferase was identified as the sinorhizobial Pmt, which showed little similarity to the corresponding enzyme from Rhodobacter sphaeroides. Upon expression of the sinorhizobial Pmt, besides phosphatidylcholine, the methylated intermediates of the methylation pathway, monomethylphosphatidylethanolamine and dimethylphosphatidylethanolamine, are also formed. When Pmt-deficient mutants of S. meliloti are grown on minimal medium, they cannot form PC, and they grow significantly more slowly than the wild type. Growth of the Pmt-deficient mutant in the presence of choline allows for PC formation via the Pcs pathway and restores wild-type-like growth. Double knock-out mutants, deficient in Pmt and in Pcs, are unable to form PC and show reduced growth even in the presence of choline. These results suggest that PC is required for normal growth of S. meliloti.     

The human LL-37 peptide exerts antimicrobial activity against Legionella micdadei interacting with membrane phospholipids

Legionella micdadei is responsible for community- or nosocomial-acquired pneumonia as well as the influenza-like illness Pontiac fever. The aim of this study was to investigate the ability of L. micdadei to utilize extracellular choline for phosphatidylcholine (PC) synthesis and its consequences for the phospholipid composition of its membrane system and the interaction with the human LL-37 peptide. Comparative analysis of the PC content using isotopic labeling revealed that in presence of exogenous choline 98% of the total PC was synthesized via the Pcs pathway while the remaining 2% were generated via the PE-methylation (PmtA) pathway. PC species were to a greater extent defined by the Pcs pathway in the outer membrane than in the inner membrane. While no major changes in the bacterial lipid content were observed using ³¹P NMR, indication for utilization of longer acyl chains and slight increase of PG in response to choline addition was observed by a top-down lipidomics screen. The LL-37 peptide inhibited L. micdadei growth in a dose-dependent manner. Bacteria cultured with exogenous choline were more sensitive to the LL-37 peptide when compared to the standard culture condition. Our biophysical investigations show that the peptide perturbs bacterial-derived phospholipid monolayers and this interaction is dependent on the molar portion of PC. This interaction is responsible for the observed changes in the anti-L. micdadei activity of the LL-37 peptide.     

The cytoplasmic end of transmembrane domain 3 regulates the activity of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae G-protein-coupled alpha-factor receptor

The binding of alpha-factor to its receptor (Ste2p) activates a G-protein-signaling pathway leading to conjugation of MATa cells of the budding yeast S. cerevisiae. We conducted a genetic screen to identify constitutively activating mutations in the N-terminal region of the alpha-factor receptor that includes transmembrane domains 1-5. This approach identified 12 unique constitutively activating mutations, the strongest of which affected polar residues at the cytoplasmic ends of transmembrane domains 2 and 3 (Asn84 and Gln149, respectively) that are conserved in the alpha-factor receptors of divergent yeast species. Targeted mutagenesis, in combination with molecular modeling studies, suggested that Gln149 is oriented toward the core of the transmembrane helix bundle where it may be involved in mediating an interaction with Asn84. These residues appear to play specific roles in maintaining the inactive conformation of the protein since a variety of mutations at either position cause constitutive receptor signaling. Interestingly, the activity of many mammalian G-protein-coupled receptors is also regulated by conserved polar residues (the E/DRY motif) at the cytoplasmic end of transmembrane domain 3. Altogether, the results of this study suggest a conserved role for the cytoplasmic end of transmembrane domain 3 in regulating the activity of divergent G-protein-coupled receptors.     

Mutational analysis of the catalytic domain of O-linked N-acetylglucosaminyl transferase

O-Linked N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase (OGT) catalyzes the transfer of O-linked GlcNAc to serine/threonine residues of a variety of target proteins, many of which have been implicated in such diseases as diabetes and neurodegeneration. The addition of O-GlcNAc to proteins occurs in response to fluctuations in cellular concentrations of UDP-GlcNAc, which result from nutrients entering the hexosamine biosynthetic pathway. However, the molecular mechanisms involved in sugar nucleotide recognition and transfer to protein are poorly understood. We employed site-directed mutagenesis to target potentially important amino acid residues within the two conserved catalytic domains of OGT (CD I and CD II), followed by an in vitro glycosylation assay to evaluate N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase activity after bacterial expression. Although many of the amino acid substitutions caused inactivation of the enzyme, we identified three amino acid residues (two in CD I and one in CD II) that produced viable enzymes when mutated. Structure-based homology modeling revealed that these permissive mutants may be either in or near the sugar nucleotide-binding site. Our findings suggest a model in which the two conserved regions of the catalytic domain, CD I and CD II, contribute to the formation of a UDP-GlcNAc-binding pocket that catalyzes the transfer of O-GlcNAc to substrate proteins. Identification of viable OGT mutants may facilitate examination of its role in nutrient sensing and signal transduction cascades.     

Identification of catalytically relevant amino acids of the extracellular Serratia marcescens endonuclease by alignment-guided mutagenesis.

By sequence alignment of the extracellular Serratia marcescens nuclease with three related nucleases we have identified seven charged amino acid residues which are conserved in all four sequences. Six of these residues together with four other partially conserved His or Asp residues were changed to alanine by site-directed PCR-mediated mutagenesis using a variant of the nuclease gene in which the coding sequence of the signal peptide was replaced by the coding sequence for an N-terminal affinity tag [Met(His)6GlySer]. Four of the mutant proteins showed almost no reduction in nuclease activity but five displayed a 10- to 1000-fold reduction in activity and one (His110Ala) was inactive. Based upon these results it is suggested that the S.marcescens nuclease employs a mechanism in which His110 acts in concert with a Mg2+ ion and three carboxylates (Asp107, Glu148 and Glu232) as well as one or two basic amino acid residues (Arg108, Arg152).     

Genetic analysis of the cytoplasmic domain of the PfRh2b merozoite invasion protein of Plasmodium falciparum

Apicomplexan parasites employ multiple adhesive ligands for recognition and entry into host cells. The Duffy binding-like (DBL) and the reticulocyte binding protein-like (RBL) families are central to the invasion of erythrocytes by the malaria parasite. These type-1 transmembrane proteins are composed of large ectodomains and small conserved cytoplasmic tail domains. The cytoplasmic tail domain of the micronemal DBL protein EBA-175 is required for a functional ligand-receptor interaction, but not for correct trafficking and localisation. Here we focus on the cytoplasmic tail domain of the rhoptry-localised Plasmodium falciparum RBL PfRh2b. We have identified a conserved sequence of six amino acids, enriched in acidic residues, in the cytoplasmic tail domains of RBL proteins from Plasmodium spp. Genetic analyses reveal that the entire cytoplasmic tail and the conserved motif within the cytoplasmic tail are indispensable for invasion P. falciparum. Site-directed mutagenesis of the conserved moiety reveals that changes in the order of the amino acids of the conserved moiety, but not the charge of the sequence, can be tolerated. Shuffling of the motif has no effect on either invasion phenotype or PfRh2b expression and trafficking. Although the PfRh2b gene can be readily disrupted, our results suggest that modification of the PfRh2b cytoplasmic tail results in strong dominant negative activity, highlighting important differences between the PfRh2b and EBA-175 invasion ligands.     

Residues located on membrane‐embedded flexible loops are essential for the second step of the apolipoprotein N‐acyltransferase reaction

Apolipoprotein N‐acyltransferase (Lnt) is an essential membrane‐bound enzyme that catalyzes the third and last step in the post‐translational modification of bacterial lipoproteins. In order to identify essential residues implicated in substrate recognition and/or binding we screened for non‐functional variants of Lnt obtained by error‐prone polymerase chain reaction in a complementation assay using a lnt depletion strain. Mutations included amino acid substitutions in the active site and of residues located on flexible loops in the catalytic periplasmic domain. All, but one mutation, led to the formation of the thioester acyl‐enzyme intermediate and to the accumulation of apo‐Lpp, suggesting that these residues are involved in the second step of the reaction. A large cytoplasmic loop contains a highly conserved region and two hydrophobic segments. Accessibility analysis to alkylating reagents of substituted cysteine residues introduced in this region demonstrated that the hydrophobic segments do not completely span the membrane. Two residues in the highly conserved cytoplasmic region were shown to be essential for Lnt function. Together, our data suggest that amino acids located on flexible cytoplasmic and periplasmic loops, predicted to be membrane embedded, are required for efficient N‐acylation of lipoproteins.     

TspO of rhodobacter sphaeroides. A structural and functional model for the mammalian peripheral benzodiazepine receptor

The function and specific structural aspects of the tryptophan-rich sensory protein (TspO) of Rhodobacter sphaeroides 2.4.1 were studied using site-directed mutagenesis involving some 17 different amino acids. The choice of these amino acids changes was dictated from an analysis of the TspO family of proteins derived from the data bases. These studies demonstrated the importance of several highly conserved tryptophan residues in the sensory transduction pathway involving TspO through the proposed binding of an intermediate(s) in the tetrapyrrole biosynthesis pathway. These studies also revealed that the substitution of one or several of the amino acid residues dramatically affected, either directly or indirectly, the levels of TspO in the membranes of R. sphaeroides. Mounting evidence is presented suggesting that TspO normally forms a dimer within the bacterial outer membrane, and the dimer form of TspO may be the active form for TspO function. Because our earlier studies provided us with a functional framework within which to view these amino acid substitutions, we are able to suggest a preliminary model for TspO structure-function. Not only do these studies tell us more about TspO, but they also shed light on the TspO homologue, the drug-binding component of the mitochondrial peripheral benzodiazepine receptor. Mounting evidence draws numerous parallelism between these proteins and supports the significance of using TspO as a model for the structure and function of the mitochondrial protein.     

Role of acidic and aromatic amino acids in Rhodobacter capsulatus cytochrome c1. A site-directed mutagenesis study

The roles of two evolutionarily conserved aromatic residues in the cytochrome c(1) component of the Rhodobacter capsulatus cytochrome bc(1) complex, phenylalanine 138 and tyrosine 194, were analyzed by site-directed mutagenesis, in combination with biophysical and biochemical measurements. Changing Phe138 to either alanine or valine, but not to tyrosine, results in redox heterogeneity of cytochrome c(1). Replacement of Phe138 by an aliphatic amino acid also caused changes in the EPR spectrum of the cytochrome and resulted in decreases in the steady-state V(max) for the hydroquinone/cytochrome c oxidoreductase activity of cytochrome bc(1) complexes containing the mutated cytochrome c(1). These findings indicate that the presence of an aromatic residue at position 138 is essential for maintaining the native environment of the cytochrome c(1) heme. In contrast, replacement of Tyr194 by aliphatic amino acids had no significant effect on either the E(m) of cytochrome c(1) or the steady-state activity parameters. Site-directed mutagenesis of glutamate and aspartate residues in a conserved acidic patch (region 2) on Rb. capsulatus cytochrome c(1) suggests that these negatively charged residues do not play a role in the docking of cytochrome c(2) with the cytochrome bc(1) complex.     

土壤假单胞菌593使用Pcs途径合成磷酯酰胆碱

【目的】原核生物有两条代谢途径N-甲基化途径(Pmt途径)和磷脂酰胆碱合酶途径(Pcs途径)合成磷脂酰胆碱(PC)。本文对土壤细菌Pseudomonas sp.593的磷脂酰胆碱合成进行了研究,试图弄清楚假单胞菌的磷脂酰胆碱的合成途径。【方法】通过氨基酸序列比较,获得已报道的磷脂酰胆碱合酶(Pcs)的氨基酸保守序列,并设计简并引物,从Pseudomonas sp.593总DNA中PCR扩增出磷脂酰胆碱合酶基因(pcs)的片段,然后用扩增的DNA片段作探针,对Pseudomonas sp.593基因组DNA亚克隆文库进行菌落原位杂交,获得pcs全基因序列;利用同源重组原理进行活体突变,获得Pseudomonas sp.593 pcs-突变体;采用薄层层析(TLC)法分析细菌总磷脂,检测PC含量以及pcs基因活性。【结果】TLC分析显示Pseudomonas sp.593细菌仅在添加外源胆碱的M9或LB培养基中生长时才合成PC;从Pseudomonas sp.593细菌中克隆出894 bp的DNA序列,编码的蛋白具有磷脂酰胆碱合酶活性;活体缺失pcs基因后,Pseudomonas sp.593 pcs-突变体在添加或不添加胆碱的条件下都不能合成PC。【结论】Pcs途径是土壤Pseudomonas sp.593乃至其它假单胞菌合成磷脂酰胆碱的唯一途径。     

Identification of essential amino acids in the Streptococcus mutans glucosyltransferases.

A comparison of the amino acid sequences of the glucosyltransferases (GTFs) of mutans streptococci with those from the alpha-amylase family of enzymes revealed a number of conserved amino acid positions which have been implicated as essential in catalysis. Utilizing a site-directed mutagenesis approach with the GTF-I enzyme of Streptococcus mutans GS-5, we identified three of these conserved amino acid positions, Asp413, Trp491, and His561, as being important in enzymatic activity. Mutagenesis of Asp413 to Thr resulted in a GTF which expressed only about 12% of the wild-type activity. In contrast, mutagenesis of Asp411 did not inhibit enzyme activity. In addition, the D413T mutant was less stable than was the parental enzyme when expressed in Escherichia coli. Moreover, conversion of Trp491 or His561 to either Gly or Ala resulted in enzymes devoid of GTF activity, indicating the essential nature of these two amino acids for activity. Furthermore, mutagenesis of the four Tyr residues present at positions 169 to 172 which are part of a subdomain with homology to the direct repeating sequences present in the glucan-binding domain of the GTFs had little overall effect on enzymatic activity, although the glucan products appeared to be less adhesive. These results are discussed relative to the mechanisms of catalysis proposed for the GTFs and related enzymes.     

Alterations to influenza virus hemagglutinin cytoplasmic tail modulate virus infectivity.

The influenza virus hemagglutinin (HA) contains a cytoplasmic domain that consists of 10 to 11 amino acids, of which five residues have sequence identity for 10 of 13 HA subtypes. To investigate properties of these conserved residues, oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis was performed, using an HA cDNA of influenza virus A/Udorn/72 (H3N2) to substitute the conserved cysteine residues with other residues, to delete the three C-terminal conserved residues, or to remove the entire cytoplasmic domain. The altered HAs were expressed in eukaryotic cells, and the rates of intracellular transport were examined. It was found that substitution of either conserved cysteine residue within the cytoplasmic domain did not affect the rate of intracellular transport, whereas deletion of residues within the C-terminal domain resulted in delayed cell surface expression. All the altered HAs were biologically active in hemadsorption and fusion assays. To investigate whether the wild-type HA and HAs with altered cytoplasmic tails could complement the influenza virus temperature-sensitive transport-defective HA mutant A/WSN/33 ts61S, the HA cDNAs were expressed by using a transient expression system and released virus was assayed by plaque analysis. The wild-type HA expression resulted in a release of approximately 10(3) PFU of virus per ml. Antibody neutralization of complemented virus indicated that the infectivity was due to incorporation of wild-type H3 HA into ts61S virions. Sucrose density gradient analysis of released virions showed that each of the HA cytoplasmic domain mutants was incorporated into virus particles. Virions containing HAs with substitution of the cysteine residues in the cytoplasmic domain were found to be infectious. However, no infectivity could be detected from virions containing HAs that had deletions in their cytoplasmic domains. Possible roles of the HA cytoplasmic domain in forming protein-protein interactions in virions and their involvement in the initiation of the infection process in cells are discussed.     

The C-terminal cytoplasmic Lys-thr-X-X-X-Trp motif in frizzled receptors mediates Wnt/beta-catenin signalling

Frizzled receptors are components of the Wnt signalling pathway, but how they activate the canonical Wnt/beta-catenin pathway is not clear. Here we use three distinct vertebrate frizzled receptors (Xfz3, Xfz4 and Xfz7) and describe whether and how their C-terminal cytoplasmic regions transduce the Wnt/beta-catenin signal. We show that Xfz3 activates this pathway in the absence of exogenous ligands, while Xfz4 and Xfz7 interact with Xwnt5A to activate this pathway. Analysis using chimeric receptors reveals that their C-terminal cytoplasmic regions are functionally equivalent in Wnt/beta-catenin signalling. Furthermore, a conserved motif (Lys-Thr-X-X-X-Trp) located two amino acids after the seventh transmembrane domain is required for activation of the Wnt/beta-catenin pathway and for membrane relocalization and phosphorylation of Dishevelled. Frizzled receptors with point mutations affecting either of the three conserved residues are defective in Wnt/beta-catenin signalling. These findings provide functional evidence supporting a role of this conserved motif in the modulation of Wnt signalling. They are consistent with the genetic features exhibited by Drosophila Dfz3 and Caenorhabditis elegans mom-5 in which the tryptophan is substituted by a tyrosine.     

Expression and physiological relevance of Agrobacterium tumefaciens phosphatidylcholine biosynthesis genes

Phosphatidylcholine (PC), or lecithin, is the major phospholipid in eukaryotic membranes, whereas only 10% of all bacteria are predicted to synthesize PC. In Rhizobiaceae, including the phytopathogenic bacterium Agrobacterium tumefaciens, PC is essential for the establishment of a successful host-microbe interaction. A. tumefaciens produces PC via two alternative pathways, the methylation pathway and the Pcs pathway. The responsible genes, pmtA (coding for a phospholipid N-methyltransferase) and pcs (coding for a PC synthase), are located on the circular chromosome of A. tumefaciens C58. Recombinant expression of pmtA and pcs in Escherichia coli revealed that the individual proteins carry out the annotated enzyme functions. Both genes and a putative ABC transporter operon downstream of PC are constitutively expressed in A. tumefaciens. The amount of PC in A. tumefaciens membranes reaches around 23% of total membrane lipids. We show that PC is distributed in both the inner and outer membranes. Loss of PC results in reduced motility and increased biofilm formation, two processes known to be involved in virulence. Our work documents the critical importance of membrane lipid homeostasis for diverse cellular processes in A. tumefaciens.