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. 1971 Jan;105(1):323–330. doi: 10.1128/jb.105.1.323-330.1971

Sterol Requirements of T-Strain Mycoplasmas

S Rottem 1, E A Pfendt 1, L Hayflick 1
PMCID: PMC248358  PMID: 4925123

Abstract

T-strain mycoplasmas are very sensitive to digitonin, amphotericin B, and progesterone. This sensitivity and the relatively high content of cholesterol found in the cells indicated a possible requirement of T-strain mycoplasmas for sterols. This suspected requirement was demonstrated directly in a lipid-poor medium and can be met by cholesterol, as well as by β-sitosterol and to a lesser degree by 7-dehydrocholesterol, cholestanol, stigmasterol, and ergosterol but not by cholesterol laurate or cholestan-3-one. Coprostanol, epicoprostanol, and epicholestanol inhibited cell growth. This inhibition could be partially reversed by increasing the cholesterol concentration in the growth medium. Because of their sterol requirement and their unique requirement for urea, T-strain mycoplasmas might be classified as the third genus in the order Mycoplasmatales.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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