Mitogenic activity of Mycoplasma pulmonis. II. Studies on the biochemical nature of the mitogenic factor.

The mitogenic activity of Mycoplasma pulmonis has been demonstrated to reside in the membrane of this microorganism. Studies aimed at the identification of the membraneous mitogenic factor have revealed that membrane proteins are essential components of this mitogenic manifestation. In addition, it has been shown that the micro-organism's outer surface membrane proteins are responsible for mitogenic activity. It has been shown, however, that isolated membrane lipids are not mitogenic for rat lymphocytes and are not required for the membrane's mitogenic potential.