Effect of trichothecenes on growth and intracellular pool size of Mycoplasma gallisepticum.

The mycotoxin T-2 inhibited the growth of Mycoplasma gallisepticum. The growth inhibition was most pronounced with the hydrophobic derivatives T-2 acetate and very little with the hydrophilic T-2 tetraol. The toxin had no effect on the biosynthesis of either protein, DNA, RNA or complex lipids but markedly reduced the intracellular pool size of soluble low molecular mass precursors. It seems that T-2 acetate, by virtue of its hydrophobic nature, may accumulate within the lipid backbone affecting the permeability properties of the cell membrane.