title: Membrane lipids of Mycoplasma fermentans.
abstract: Membranes of Mycoplasma fermentans, incognitus strain, were isolated by a combination of osmotic lysis and sonication. Analysis of membrane lipids revealed, in addition to free and esterified cholesterol, six major polar lipids dominated by a de novo synthesized compound (compound X), which accounts for 64% of the total lipid phosphorus. Compound X was labeled by palmitate, but not by oleate. Mass spectrometry and gas liquid chromatography analyses of compound X revealed two molecular species with molecular masses of 1048 and 1076 representing, a dipalmitoyl- and a stearoyl-palmitoyl-glycerodiphosphatidylcholine. Compound X has the ability to stimulate human monocytes to secret TNF alpha and to enhance the fusion of small unilamellar vesicles with MOLT-3 lymphocytes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Membrane and Ultrastructure Research, Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Salman
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Deutsch
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tarshis
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Naot
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rottem
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D008561:Membrane Fusion / Q000502:physiology; D008563:Membrane Lipids / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000502:physiology; D009000:Monocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D016858:Mycoplasma fermentans / Q000737:chemistry*; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D008563:Membrane Lipids; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha