Membrane subunits of Mycoplasma laidlawii and their assembly to membranelike structures.

Abstract

Cell membranes of the pleuropneumonialike organism M. laidlawii were dissolved by sodium lauryl sulfate. The dissolved material consisted of ultracentrifugally homogenous subunits having a sedimentation constant of 3.3 Svedberg units. These subunits which were composed of lipid and protein could be reaggregated to form membrane like structures in the presence of di- or multivalent cations.