The cell wall mannan from Saccharomyces strain FH4C (a yeast mutant which forms large amounts of the mannan-enzyme, invertase) was examined. The mannan can be fractionated into neutral and acidic components on DEAEcellulose. Covalently bound phosphate is responsible for the acidic properties of the polysaccharide. Gel filtration studies indicate that the mannan has a molecular weight range from 40,000 to >300,000 daltons. The susceptibility of FH4C mannans to a bacterial a-mannosidase was inversely related to the content of mannan phosphate and was augmented by dephosphorylation of the polysaccharide. Thus, phosphate shields the mannan from enzymolysis by masking potentially susceptible mannosidic bonds. Mannans severely degraded
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