Mycoplasma Cell Membranes

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xvi

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2. Mycoplasma Membranes as Models in Membrane Research

   • Shmuel Razin

   Pages 1-28

3. Mycoplasma Membrane Lipids Chemical Composition and Transbilayer Distribution

   • Robert Bittman

   Pages 29-52

4. Physical Studies of Lipid Organization and Dynamics in Mycoplasma Membranes

   • Ronald N. McElhaney

   Pages 53-108

5. Regulation and Physicochemical Properties of the Polar Lipids in Acholeplasma laidlawii

   • Leif Rilfors, Åke Wieslander, Göran Lindblom

   Pages 109-166

6. The Role of Cholesterol in Mycoplasma Membranes

   • Jean Dahl

   Pages 167-188

7. Extramembranous Structure in Mycoplasmas

   • F. Chris Minion, Ricardo F. Rosenbusch

   Pages 189-201

8. Spiralins

   • J. M. Bové, X. Foissac, Colette Saillard

   Pages 203-223

9. Adherence of Mycoplasma to Cell Surfaces

   • Itzhak Kahane, Shulamith Horowitz

   Pages 225-241

10. The Cytadhesins of Mycoplasma pneumoniae and M. genitalium

    • Joel B. Baseman

    Pages 243-259

11. Ion Pumps and Volume Regulation in Mycoplasma

    • Mitchell H. Shirvan, Shlomo Rottem

    Pages 261-292

12. Transport Systems in Mycoplasmas

    • Vincent P. Cirillo

    Pages 293-310

13. Back Matter

    Pages 311-314

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The mycoplasmas, a trivial name used to denote organisms included in the class Mollicutes, are a group of prokaryotic organisms comprising more than 120 species distinguished from ordinary bacteria by their small size and the total lack of cell walls. The absence of a cell wall in mycoplasmas is a characteristic of outstanding importance to which the mycoplasmas owe many of their pecu­ liarities, for example, their morphological instability, osmotic sensitivity, unique ion pumping systems, resistance to antibiotics that interfere with cell wall bio­ synthesis, and susceptibility to lysis by detergents and alcohols. The fact that the mycoplasma cells contain only one membrane type, the plasma membrane, constitutes one of their most useful properties for membrane studies; once the membrane is isolated, it is uncontaminated with other mem­ brane types. Another advantage in using mycoplasmas as models for membrane studies stems from the fact that their membrane lipid composition can be altered in a controlled manner. This characteristic results from the partial or total inabili­ ty of the mycoplasmas to synthesize long-chain fatty acids and cholesterol, making mycoplasmas dependent on the supply of fatty acids from the growth medium. The ability to introduce controlled alterations in the fatty acid composi­ tion and cholesterol content of mycoplasma membranes has been utilized in studying the molecular organization and physical properties of biological mem­ branes.

• Lipid
• cell
• cell membrane
• membrane
• plasma membrane
• regulation

• Department of Membrane and Ultrastructure Research, The Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School, Jerusalem, Israel

  Shlomo Rottem, Itzhak Kahane

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