Synthesis of Lipids from Acetate Is Not Characteristic of Acholeplasma or Ureaplasma Species

Previous studies of Acholeplasma species indicated that this genus could be separated from Mycoplasma on the basis of the ability to synthesize lipids from acetate. We report that recently described strains of Acholeplasma florum (strain L1 isolated from a lemon flower and strain GF-1 isolated from a grapefruit flower) and two unclassified Acholeplasma strains (strain J233 from coconut palm and Acholeplasma sp. strain PS-1 from an insect) convert little if any acetate carbon to lipid, in contrast to Acholeplasma sp. strain 0502-CL1 isolated from broccoli and six other established Acholeplasma species of animal origin. Thus, the ability to synthesize lipid from acetate in Edward test medium containing horse serum is not characteristic of all members of the genus Acholeplasma (class Mollicutes), but appears to be a property only of a subgroup in the genus containing the species that are most frequently isolated from animals (Acholeplasma laidlawii, Acholeplasma granularum BTS39, Acholeplasma oculi 19L, Acholeplasma equifetale N93, and probably Acholeplasma axanthum S743 and Acholeplasma modicum PG49). Like other Mycoplasma species which we studied, Mycoplasma bovigenitalium PG11, Mycoplasma hominis PG27, Mycoplasma arginini G230, and four sterol-requiring mycoplasmas of insect or plant origin (Mycoplasma sp. strain MQ3 from an insect, Mycoplasma sp. strain pommier from an apple, Mycoplasma sp. strain melaleuca from a Melaleuca flower, and Mycoplasma sp. strain 831-C4 from lettuce) convert little acetate to lipid. Similarly, eight serovars of Ureaplasma urealyticum convert little if any acetate to lipid.