Modification of the membrane composition of Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. capri by the growth medium

Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. capri was grown in different media. The amounts of the lipids in these media were varied, resulting in altered lipid compositions of the cells. Lowering the amounts of cholesterol in the media resulted in less cholesterol incorporation into the cell lipid, with a concomitant decrease in the amount of phospholipid. The changes in the phospholipid/cholesterol ratio in the mycoplasmas were very small compared with the large changes in the amounts of cholesterol which occurred when the cholesterol content in the medium was altered. Changes in the amounts of glycolipid and glyceride in the cell lipid also resulted from alterations of the cholesterol concentration in the media. Under these conditions cell with reduced cholesterol contents were more sensitive to lysis by digitonin. No changes were observed in the polyacrylamide gel electrophoretic pattern of cellular or membrane proteins when the cholesterol was replaced by other sterols.