# DIFFERENTIATED CELL CULTURES:  INFECTION BY MYCOPLASMAS

> **NIH NIH R01** · CORIELL INSTITUTE FOR MEDICAL RESEARCH · 1987 · $164,994

## Abstract

Mycoplasmas are infective agents of humans, laboratory, domestic and farm
animals, plants, insects and cell cultures.  Approximately 15% of
continuous cell lines contain mycoplasmas.  Virtually every cell culture
parameter is affected.  Mycoplasmal infection invalidates results of in
vitro diagnostic and experimental procedures and wastes millions of federal
grant dollars annually.  The problem will increase as new types of
non-fibroblast cell cultures are being propagated in a variety of media,
including serum-free formulations and in large scale operations.  Data are
critically needed to determine the nature of mycoplasmas in this new
generation of cell culture systems.  This application addresses certain of
these areas in detail:  lymphoblastoid cells, cell cultures grown in
serum-free media and detection methods for large scale growth of cell
cultures.

Cell culture systems can also represent valuable models to study
mycoplasmal physiology and pathogenesis.  Mycoplasma, Ureaplasma and
Spiroplasma species do not propagate in cell culture media.  They do grow,
however, in cell cultures, suggesting the cells produce myocplasma growth
factors.  These studies will characterize these factors as well as define
mechanisms whereby M. hyorhinis can grow in a T lymphocyte cell line in
serum-free media without supplemental cholesterol, recently observed in
this laboratory.  Cell and organ culture studies with ureaplasmas will be
expanded.  Studies on the transformation of NIH 3T3 cells by a helical
mycoplasma, Spiroplasma mirum, with high efficiency will be expanded,
hopefully to define cellular and molecular mechanisms.  An immunobinding
technique developed in this laboratory to identify cell culture isolates
offers potential to detect mycoplasmas in clinical specimens.  These
studies will be expanded.

Studies contained in this proposal will generate significant information
that will have practical and immediate aplication to specialists in cell
culture as well as infectious disease.  Results should contribute to
improved detection methods, elucidation of the role mycoplasmas play in
disease, and to a better understanding of the mechanisms of
mycoplasmal-mammalian cell relationships, especially those that occur in
serum free condition in vivo and in vitro.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 3126405
- **Project number:** 5R01AI015748-08
- **Recipient organization:** CORIELL INSTITUTE FOR MEDICAL RESEARCH
- **SAM.gov UEI:** XQJNZNQZAFP3
- **Principal Investigator:** GERARD J. MC GARRITY
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 1987
- **Award amount:** $164,994
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1982-09-30 → 1990-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/3126405

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 3126405, DIFFERENTIATED CELL CULTURES:  INFECTION BY MYCOPLASMAS (5R01AI015748-08). Retrieved via MORVS 2026-10-25 from https://api.morvs.ai/grant/nih/3126405. Licensed CC0.

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