Metabolism of Animal Cells Infected With Mycoplasma

Abstract

Park, Calif.). Metabolism of animal cells infected with mycoplasma. J. Bacteriol. 82:288-297. 1961.-The effect of pleuropneumonia-like organisms (PPLO) upon the metabolism of tissue cultures was tested by comparing the assimilation and accumulation of the amino acids in the medium during growth and maintenance of monolayers of mouse fibroblasts (L strain) and human bone marrow cells (Mox). This preliminary study indicates that PPLO do alter the amino acid metabolism of animal cells. The observed changes in metabolic patterns shown by the infected fibroblast cultures did not mirror the metabolic patterns of the PPLO in the medium alone. Different strains of animal cells showed different responses to one PPLO strain, and different strains of PPLO caused different responses in one strain of animal cells. The PPLO did not grow in the tissue culture medium (no. 199 plus 2% horse serum and 20 to 40 units of penicillin/ml) nor in spent culture fluids and rapidly died off at 37 C but survived for months at 4 C. The altered metabolism of the infected tissue cultures appeared to reflect a true host-parasite interaction.

Mycoplasmas and cell cultures.

“…was the first person to show that arginine was depleted in contaminated cultures (139). Schimke et al (167) noted that nonfermenting mycoplasmas utilize large amounts of arginine as a major energy source.…”

“…Powelson also showed that levels of glutamine in mycoplasma-contaminated cell cultures were below those of uninfected cultures, but not completely depleted (139). However, the level of glutamine in mycoplasma-infected cultures could be reduced from 2 to 0.2 mm without causing detectable changes in cell growth (91).…”

“…Several investigators have shown that mycoplasmas did not grow in cell-free tissue culture medium. Mycoplasmas did not grow in fresh medium or medium conditioned by previous contact with cell cultures (26,98,137,139,187). However, supplementation of fresh medium with yeast extract or nucleic acid precursors allowed propagation of the mycoplasmas (46,137,(185)(186)(187).…”

The Effect of Mycoplasma on the Karyology of Normal Cells

“…It has been known for some years that infection of cells with mycoplasma can ( 1 ) reduce the rate of growth,'** (2) reduce the arginine and glutamine concentration in the m e d i~m , ' ,~.~ and (3) alter the sensitivity of cells to viral i n f e~t i o n .~ We have shown that infection of cells by Mycoplasma orale can cause chromosome aberrations giving increased polyploid counts and break frequencies.…”

Aerosols as a Source of Widespread Mycoplasma Contamination of Tissue Cultures1

“…(Throughout this report reference to infection or contamination of tissue cultures will be understood to mean that due to Mycoplasma unless otherwise stated.) Nelson (1960) and Powelson (1961) reported that certain animal strains of Mycoplasma produce cytopathogenic effects (CPE) in experimentally infected tissue cultures, and O'Connell (1963) observed that Mycoplasma strains isolated from various tissue cell cultures destroy African Green monkey kidney cells.…”