Attachment of killed Mycoplasma gallisepticum cells and membranes to erythrocytes

Abstract

To correlate viability with attachment capacity, Mycoplasma gallisepticum cells harvested at different growth phases and treated by various agents were tested for their capacity to attach to human erythrocytes. The results show that viability per se is not essential for M. gallisepticum attachment to erythrocytes, as cells killed by ultraviolet irradiation and membranes isolated by lysing M. gallisepticum cells by various means retained attachment capacity. However, treatment of the mycoplasmas by protein-denaturing agents, such as heat, glutaraldehyde, or prolonged exposure to low pH, drastically affected or even abolished attachment, supporting the protein nature of the mycoplasma membrane components responsible for specific binding to the sialoglycoprotein receptors on the erythrocytes.

Effects of ionophores and dicyclohexylcarbodiimide on Mycoplasma gallisepticum adherence to erythrocytes

“…The adherence of the human respiratory pathogen Mycoplasma pneumoniae and the avian pathogen Mycoplasma gallisepticum to eucaryotic cell surfaces both in vivo and in vitro and to inert surfaces, such as glass and plastic, are well established phenomena (1,4,9,10,11,14,18,25,27,30). Sialic acid residues serve as major receptor sites in the adherence of these mycoplasmas to eucaryotic cells (3)(4)(5)25). Obviously, the absence of these receptors from glass and plastic suggest that the mechanism of mycoplasma attachment to cells and inert surfaces may be different.…”