title: [Mollicute Acholeplasma florum possesses a gene of phosphoenolpyruvate sugar phosphotransferase system and it uses UGA as tryptophan codon].
abstract: Acholeplasmas are mollicutes which do not require sterol for growth and do not possess a phosphoenolpyruvate-dependent sugar-phosphotransferase system. In contrast to spiroplasmas, mycoplasmas and ureaplasmas, they utilize UGA as a stop codon and not as a tryptophan codon. Acholeplasma florum, because of its metabolic properties and its close phylogenetic relationship to members of the genera Spiroplasma and Mycoplasma, does not seem to be an acholeplasma senso stricto. Here, we present molecular data to support this hypothesis. We have detected a gene coding for one of the components of the phosphotransferase system (PTS) in A. florum. In addition we demonstrate that the organism uses UGA as a tryptophan codon and not as a stop codon. These findings offer strong evidence, along with an earlier phylogenetic proposal, that A. florum is not a member of the genus Acholeplasma.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Biologie cellulaire et moléculaire, I.N.R.A., Villenave-d'Ornon.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Navas-Castillo
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Laigret
authors.forename: J G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Tully
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Bové
mesh_terms: D000127:Acholeplasma / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D003062:Codon / Q000235:genetics*; D010731:Phosphoenolpyruvate Sugar Phosphotransferase System / Q000235:genetics*; D014176:Protein Biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D014364:Tryptophan / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D003062:Codon; D014364:Tryptophan; D010731:Phosphoenolpyruvate Sugar Phosphotransferase System
vernacular_title: Le mollicute Acholeplasma florum possède un gène du système phosphoénolpyruvate sucre-phosphotransférase et il utilise UGA comme codon tryptophane.