
Full text loading...
SUMMARY: Dilute acid treatment of isolated hyphal walls from Phytophthora heveae and Pythium butleri separates two fractions: an acid-soluble carbohydrate protein containing glucosamine (about three-fifths of the total glucan weight) and an acid-insoluble pure glucan. Acid and enzymic hydrolyses of the soluble fraction indicate two major glycosidic linkages, β (1 → 3) and β (1 →6), and a little of the β (1 → 4). Digestion of the residual material by cellulase confirmed the presence of a cellulose-like glucan in these walls. A small amount of laminaribiose and gentibiose confirms the presence of β (1 → 3) and β (1 → 6) linkages. Comparable analyses indicate that the walls of both fungi possess similar glucan structures, the differences being quantitative. Proteins in the Phycomycetes walls seem to act as binding points between carbohydrate chains.