Advances in PCR Based Detection of Mycoplasmas Contaminating Cell Cultures
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Downloaded from genome.cshlp.org on October 6, 2021 - Published by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press Advances in PCR based Detection of Mycoplasmas Contaminating Cell Cultures Georges Rawadi and Olivier Dussurget Laboratoire des Mycoplasmes, D~partement de Bact&iologie et Mycologie, Institut Pasteur, 75724 Paris, CEDEX 15, France M ycoplasmas (the trivial name for microorganisms belonging to the class Mollicutes) are the smallest free-living, self-replicating bacteria, having diame- ters of 300 to 800 nm. These pleomorph microorganisms have no cell walls. (1~ Be- cause of their small size and flexibility, mollicutes can pass through filters of 450 and 220 nm used commonly in cell culturing. ~,2) Mollicute contamination of primary and continuous eukaryotic cell lines rep- resents a major problem of economic and biological importance in basic re- search, diagnosis, and biotechnological production. This contamination prob- lem is widespread. Surveys show that 5-87% of cell lines are contaminat- ed. (3-6~ There are currently ~120 molli- cute species, (~ but 5 species account for ~>95% of cell contaminations. (3'7-9~ The common contaminants are two bovine mollicutes, Mycoplasma arginini and Acholeplasma laidlawii; two human mol- FIGURE 1 Scanning electron microscopy of 3T6 cell line infected with M. fermentans. Arrows licutes, Mycoplasma orale and Myco- indicate the mycoplasmas adsorbed on the cell surface. plasma fermentans; and a porcine molli- cute, Mycoplasma hyorhinis. (1~ Figure 1 shows a fibroblastic cell line contami- cleic acid and amino acid metabolism, ers or characteristics associated with nated with M. fermentans detected by and production of virus and biologic mollicutes, including DNA fluoro- scanning electron microscopy. products, such as cytokines and mono- chrome staining, DNA probes, enzyme- Although contamination originates clonal antibodies. ~3'7'9'12'~3~ Unlike bac- linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), from laboratory personnel and commer- teria and fungi, moUicute contaminants immunofluorescence, electron micros- cial animal sera used in culture media, usually produce neither turbid growth copy, autoradiography, and biochemical the main source of contamination of nor cell damage. (6~ Moreover, most mol- assays. ~2'6'1~ Although efforts have fo- clean cultures is mollicute-infected cul- licutes are resistant to antibiotics com- cused on the improvement of these tech- tures.(2,7,11) monly used in long-term cell cul- niques, detection of mollicutes in cell Mollicutes are capable of altering vir- tures. (6'~2~ Periodic screening is therefore cultures remains a serious problem. Re- tually every property and parameter essential in controlling contamination cently, the application of PCR-based measured in cell cultures, depending on and maintaining mollicute-free cell methods of detection has attracted the contaminating species and on the lines. much attention because of their extreme type of cell infected, leading to unreli- Numerous methods for detecting sensitivity and specificity. Because the able experiments and unsafebiologicals, mollicute infection have been devel- pace of PCR technology advancement biopharmaceutical drugs, and virus vac- oped. Direct tests are based on microbi- is so rapid, detection methods have cines. It has been shown that mollicutes ological culture, and indirect tests are evolved quickly. The objective of this re- affect cell growth and morphology, nu- based on measurement of specific mark- view is to present the latest develop- 4:199-2089 by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press ISSN 1054-9803/95 $5.00 PCR Methods ondApplications 199 Downloaded from genome.cshlp.org on October 6, 2021 - Published by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press Review llll|ll ments in the field of PCR-based detec- mollicute DNA and can generate mil- alignment studies of mollicute 16S rRNA tion of mollicutes contaminating ceil lions of DNA copies from the template sequences have revealed the existence of cultures. PCR-based methods are de- sequence, it makes the detection of mol- regions with highly conserved sequences scribed and compared with other molli- licutes easier, even in cell cultures with and regions with sequence variability at cute detection assays. low contamination. the genus and species levels, allowing the selection of genus- and species-spe- cific primers and, thus, detection and Characteristics of Target Nucleic GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF PCR identification of mollicutes. However, Acids and Primers DETECTION most investigators have reported the The PCR technique is based on repeated Virtually all forms of double-stranded relative specificity of their primers, cycles of high-temperature template de- nucleic acids are suitable substrates for especially when used in one-step PCR naturation, oligonucleotide primer an- PCR. Mycoplasmic 16S rRNA sequences procedures. Some workers observed nealing, and thermostable polymerase- have been determined and provide the cross-reactions with walled prokaryotes mediated extension. (~4) The number of basis for a systematic phylogenetic anal- in genus-specific conditions (Table DNA molecules doubles after each cycle, ysis of mollicutes. ~ls) Typically, PCR tar- 1), C2~ or cross-reactions between mol- somewhat mimicking in vivo DNA rep- gets are chosen within the gene coding licutes in species-specific PCR condi- lication. Because PCR allows the specific for this evolutionarily conserved 16S tions. ~ Others used primers that did amplification of discrete fragments of rRNA (Tables 1 and 2). (16--22) Computer not cross-react with bacteria that is TABLE 1 Primers used in Detection by PCR of Mycoplasma-contaminated Cell Cultures Primer Site on 16S Undetected designation a Sequence 5' ---> 3' or 23S rRNA species Cross-reaction Reference 1-P1 GTGCCAGCAGCCGCGGTAATAC NR b none prokaryotes 20 2-P2 TCTACGCATTTCACCGCTACAC NRb 20 1-P3 CTTGTACACACCGCCCGTCACACCATG NRb none prokaryotes 20 2-P4 TACCTTGTTACGACTTCACCCCA NRb 20 1-P3 CTTGTACACACCGCCCGTCACACCATG NRb M. orale none 20 2-IP3 ATCGCTAGTCCTACCTTGGG NRb A. laidlawii 20 l-P3 CTTGTACACACCGCCCGTCACACCATG NRb A. laidlawii none 20 2-IP'3 GTCACCAGTCCTACCTTAGG NRb 20 1-MCGpF11 c ACACCAAGGGAG(CFF)TGGTAAT NR b none NR 23 2-R23-1R c CTCCTAGTGCCAAG(C/G) CAT(CFF)C NRa 23 3-R16-2 c GTG(C/G) GG(A/C)TGGATCACCTCCT NRb none NR 23 4-MCGpR21 c GCATCCACCA(A/T)A(AFF)AC(CFF)CTT NR~ 23 1-F1 ~ ACACCATGGGAG(CFF)TGGTAAT NRb none NR 24 2-R1 ~ CTTC(A/T)TCGACTT(CFF)CAGACCCAAGGCAT NRd 24 3-F2~ GTG(C/G) GG(A/C)TGGATCACCTCCT NRb none NR 24 4-R2 c GCATCCACCA(A/T)A(A/T)AC(CFF)CTT NRa 16 1-Myco 9 ~ (CFF)GCCTG(AJG)GTAGTA(CJT)(A/G) (TIC) (T/A) CGC NRb none NR 16 2-Myco 3 c GCGGTGTGTACAA(G/A)(A/C) CCCGA 16 3-Myco 8 ~ TGGTGCA(T/C) GGTTGTCGTCAG NRb none NR 16 4-Myco 5 ~ GAACGTATTCACCG(C/T)(A/G) (G/A) (CFF) (A/G)T(A/G) NRb 16 1-My 1 GCTGTGTGCCTAATACATGCAT 41-62 b'e none none 18 2-My 2 TGGTAGACAGTGAGACAATTGGAG 1013-1036 b'e 18 1-Molli 1 TACGGGAGGCAGCAGTA 343-359 b'f A. laidlawii Clostridia 21 2-Molli 2a TCAAGATAAAGTCATTTCCT 463-482 b'f 21 1-Molli 1 TACGGGAGGCAGCAGTA 343-359 b'f Mycoplasma none 21 species 2-Molli 2b TACCGTCAATITITAATITIT 451-471 b'f none 21 1-RNA5 AGAGTTTGATCCTGGCTCAGGA 10-31 f Gram-positive bacteria 2 19 2-RNA3 ACGAGCTGACGACAACCATGCAC 1068-1043 f none 19 1-GPO-3 GGGAGCAAACAGGATTAGATACCCT 774-798f prokaryotes NR 25 2-MGSO TGCACCATCTGTCACTCTGTTAACCTC 1029-1055 f 25 a(1-/2-) Primer pairs for one-step PCR or outer primers for nested PCR; (3-/4-) inner primers for nested PCR. b16s rRNA gene. CParentheses indicate nucleotide degeneration. (NR) Not reported. d23S rRNA gene. eUsing M. fermentans 16S rDNA as a reference. fRelative to Escherichia coli 16S rDNA nucleotide sequence. gLow G + C Gram-positive bacteria. 200 PCR Methods and Applications Downloaded from genome.cshlp.org on October 6, 2021 - Published by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press TABLE 2 Species-specific Primers for Identification by PCR of Mycoplasma-contaminated Cell Culture Primer Site on Species designation Sequence 5' ~ 3' 16S rRNAa specificity Reference ARG2b TCAACCAGGTGTTCTTTCCC 460-440 M. arginini 19 ACH3b AGCCGGACTGAGGGTCTAC 277-296 A. laidlawii 19 FERb AAGAAGCGTTTCTTCGCTGG 203-222 M. fermentans 19 HYOb GAAAGGAGCTTCACAGCTTC 198-217 M. hyorhinis 19 ORAb GGAGCGTTTCGTCCGCTAAG 199-218 M. orale 19 PIRb GTCCGTTTGGACCGCTATAG 203-222 M. pirum 19 SALb GCTGCGTCAACAGTTCTCTG 849-830 M. salivarium 19 PNEU-GENb CCTGCAAGGGTTCGTTATTT 204-223 M. pneumoniae/ M. genitaliurn 19 moli2bc TACCGTCAATITFTAATITT 451-471 A. laidlawii 21 p1 c AAGGACCTGCAAGGGTTCGT NR M. pneumoniae 22 p2 c CTCTAGCCATTACCTGCTAA NR M. pneumoniae 22 p1 o TGAAAGGCGCTGTAAGGCGC NR M. hominis 22 p2 o GTCTGCAATCATTTCCTATTGCAAA NR M. hominis 22 p1 e GAAGCCTTTCTTCGCTGGAG NR M. fermentans 22 p2 e ACAAAATCATTTCCTATTCTGTC NR M. fermentans 22 p1 f AGCGTTTGCTTCACTTTGAA NR M. pulmonis 22 p2 f GGGCATTTCCTCCCTAAGCT NR M. pulmonis 22 RNA2b TTCTATAGCTTTGCCAAG NR M. pirum 26 Phyob TTCACAGCTTCACTTAAAA 207-225 M. hyorhinis 18 Pora b GCGTTTCGTCCGCTAAGA 202-219 M. orale 18 Pacho b AACACATVFAAAGATTTA 189-206 A. laidlawii 18 Psalb GGGCCTTTAAAGCTCCAC 200-217 M. salivarium 18 Pargb GCGAGGTTCTTTTGAACC 68-85 M. arginini 18 Pferb TTTCTTCGCTGGAGGAGCG 206-224 M. fermentans 18 aIUB E. coli 16S rRNA position. bUsed with a genus-specific primer to perform PCR. c-fPrimer pairs used together to perform PCR. (NR) Not reported. closely related to mollicutes phylogenet- mollicute DNA among the eukaryotic patible. ~31~ Several recent PCR-based ically, but did not amplify all mollicute gene material. Primer design is one of methods of diagnosing cell culture infec-