Absence of phospholipase A2 activity in genital Mycoplasma hominis.
The clinical relevance of vaginal colonization with Mycoplasma hominis (M hominis) as a cause of prematurity is doubtful. One of the possible pathways which could explain the role of M hominis in the induction of preterm labour is an increased synthesis of prostaglandins by a phospholipase A2 activity. The aim of this study was to prove whether M hominis secrets proteins with a PLA2 activity and to test whether there are strain differences in the enzyme activity between M hominis isolated from women with normal pregnancy and those with preterm labour. Using specific radio-immunoassay we could not measure any PLA2 activity in the supernatant of all investigated M hominis strains. We exclude the mechanism of induction of preterm labour by M hominis via an increased prostaglandin synthesis. Our findings make a relation between vaginal colonization with M hominis and prematurity unlikely.
Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine Berlin-Buch, Germany. thowal@mdc-berlin.de
T
T
Walther
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H
Stepan
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L
Baumann
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D
Walther
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R
Faber
D005260:Female; D005831:Genital Diseases, Female / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D019535:Mycoplasma hominis / Q000201:enzymology*; D007752:Obstetric Labor, Premature / Q000382:microbiology*; D010741:Phospholipases A / Q000032:analysis*; D054467:Phospholipases A2; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000382:microbiology*; D013045:Species Specificity
D010741:Phospholipases A; D054467:Phospholipases A2