Composition chimique et degradation des parois d'une souche sauvage et d'un mutant blanc du champignon Drechslera sorokiniana

Abstract

The cell walls of the fungus Drechslera sorokiniana and an albino mutant have been studied to determine if disappearance of pigment also involves an important modification of the chemical structure. The albino mutant has lost, besides the pigment, pentose, xylose, and part of galactose and mannose. The protein contents as well as those of hexosamine and chitin are not modified. After treatments of the walls with 2 M NaOH – 0.5 M H2SO4 and with ethylenediamine identical compounds are isolated from the two walls; however, cell walls of the mutant are more easily and more extensively degraded than those of the wild type. This difference in resistance is not only due to the presence of pigment but also to a different architectural structure of the two cell walls.