Phosphocholine


 * Not to be confused with phosphatidylcholine.

Phosphocholine is an intermediate in the synthesis of phosphatidylcholine in tissues. Phosphocholine is made in a reaction, catalyzed by choline kinase, that converts ATP + Choline into Phosphocholine and ADP. Phosphocholine is a molecule found for example in lecithin.

It is also used by nematodes and human placentas as a posttranslational modification to suppress an immune response by their hosts.

It is also one of the binding targets of C-reactive protein (CRP). Thus when a cell is damaged, CRP binds to phosphocholine beginning the recognition and phagocytotic immunologic response.

Phosphatidylcholine is one of the natural constituents of hens' eggs (and many other eggs), in the form of Egg-PC, which is often used in biomimetic membrane studies. It can be purchased in purified form from many sources. The PC group is usually divided into natural (like EggPC) and synthetic products.