Cells of Candida albicans, a pathogenic yeast, have been show11 to contain, in addition to chitin, a glucan ([ff]~ -30") and a mannan ( [ a ]~ +78") i n the approximate ratio of 1.00:0.84. The two polysaccharides were easily distinguishable by 1110ving boundary electrophoresis in borate butler and were separated froin each other by fractionation of their copper complexes. i\/Iethylation and hydrolysis of the glucan yielded the following 0-methyl ethers of D-glucose: 3,3,4,6-tetra-0-methyl ('7 moles); 2,3,4-tri-0-nlethyl (13 moles); 2,4,8-tri-0-methyl (trace); 2,4-di-0-methyl (8 ~noles); and 2-0-methyl (1 mole). It was concluded that the glucan was a highly branched polysaccharide containing 0 1 + 8 and 0 1 + 3 linked residues. Periodate oxidation of the glucan supported this conclusion.Methylation and hydrolysis of the mannan yielded the following 0-methyl ethers of D-mannose: 2,3,4,8-tetra-0-methyl (1.65 moles); 3,4,6-tri-0-methyl (1.00 mole); 2,3,6-tri-0-methyl (0.18 mole); 3,4-di-0-methyl (1.90 moles). The mannan was therefore a highly branched polysaccharide with short chains of a 1 + 2 linked mannose residues joined together by a 1 + 8 linkages. Results of periodate oxidation agreed with this structure.The diaerences between these two polysaccharides and g l~~c a n s and mannans found in other yeasts are discussed.Structural investigations of polysaccharide components of yeasts have been limited, with only one exception, to those in bakers' yeast (Saccharo?lzyces cerevisiae) and there are a number of reports dealing with the glucan (1-4) and mannan (5-7) that occur in this species. The only report dealing with structures of polysaccharides from other yeast species appears to be that by Gorin and Perlin ( 8 ) which described a mannan produced by S n c c h a r o m y c e s r o u x i i . There have been other publications on the composition of cell \valls of jqeasts (9-18) and some of these (13-18) have dealt with species other than S a c c h n r o m y c e s cerevisiae. However, these papers were concerned pri~iiarily with examination of fractions of yeast cell walls by X-ray diffraction, electrophoresis, and chromatography of hydrolyzates; structures of pol>-saccharides were not investigated and co~lstituent sugars were identified only by paper chromatography. The identification of D-al-abinose as a constituent of polysaccharides found in N o c a r d i a a s t e r o i d e s ( 1 0 ) and I l f y c o b a c t e r i u m t~l b e r c z~l o s i s(20) has shown that sugars can occur in unusual configurations in microorganisms. For this reason the distinction of enantionlorphic forms of naturally occurring sugars is of considerable significance and such distinction cannot be made by paper chromatography. I t was therefore of interest to examine the polysaccharides of another species of yeast, C. albica?zs, to see if they differed in structure or constitue~lt sugars fro111 the polrsaccharides of bakers' yeast. In addition to this a report that the polysaccharides of C. n l b i c a n s , a pathogenic yeast, are ...

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The keratinolytic activities of dermatophytes which parasitize skin, nails, and hair have been described previously (1, 3, 6, 8); however, the isolation of a keratinase from these organisms has not yet been reported. Trichophyton mentagrophytes var. granulosum (T. granulosum Sabouraud, 1909) was grown in a keratin medium composed of (per liter): horse

Mannans have been isolated from cells of the following Candida species: C. albicans (serotype A), C. albicans (serotype B), C. parapsilosis, C. stellatoidea, and C. tropicalis. Methylation and hydrolysis of each mannan yielded the following methyl ethers of d-mannose (with only small variations in the relative amounts): 2,3,4,6-tetra-O-methyl-d-mannose, 3,4,6-tri-O-methyl-d-mannose (major), 2,3,4-tri-O-methyl-d-mannose (minor), 2,4,6-tri-O-methyl-d-mannose (minor), 3,4-di-O-methyl-d-mannose, and 3,5-di-O-methyl-d-mannose. The mannans therefore contained a predominance of 1 → 2 linkages in the linear portions, with smaller amounts of 1 → 6 and 1 → 3 linkages. Branching occurred through C-2 and C-6 of d-mannopyranose and d-mannofuranose units, and branches were terminated by d-mannopyranose units. The specific rotations of the mannans indicated that most of the glycosidic linkages were in the α configuration. The structural studies support the observation that the mannans are very similar serologically and show cross-reactivity in antisera to any of the parent organisms.