Fusion of phospholipid vesicles with viable Acholeplasma laidlawii

When vesicles of dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine produced by sonication are mixed with Acholeplasma laidlawii in neutral buffer, a phenomenon occurs that is most readily explained in terms of fusion of lipid vesicle membrane with the mycoplasma cytoplasmic membrane. The mycoplasma can readily accumulate large quantities of the foreign lipid without loss of viability. The added lipids do not remain in patches but diffuse laterally throughout the mycoplasma membrane.