STARCH GEL ELECTROPHORESIS OF A FRACTION OF CERTAIN OF THE PLEUROPNEUMONIA-LIKE GROUP OF MICROORGANISMS

Abstract

Starch gel electro-phoresis is suggested as a means of further characterizing strains of the pleuropneumonia-like group of microorganisms (PPLO), defined herein as including both the various "L"-forms of bacteria and the Mycoplasmataceae. The technics used may be varied to "select" other groups of proteins or classes of compounds (e.g., glycoproteins, lipoproteins and enzymes). Only the results by starch gel electrophoresis on the soluble portion of sonically treated, washed cultures, grown in a pancreatic digest of beef heart enriched with bovine serum, are reported. As yet, differences appear more significant than similarities among the electrophoretically separable proteins. The demonstration of characteristic protein patterns for each strain studied suggests possibilities of further dividing serological groups into sero-logically distinct subtypes. Tentative migration values (Ef) have been assigned to the protein bands for convenience in designation. Numerous interrelationships are thereby suggested.