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Composition of the cell walls of several yeast species

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Abstract

Cell walls, representing 26%–32% of the cell dry weight, were prepared from several strains of the yeasts Kloeckera apiculata, Debaryomyces hansenii, Zygosaccharomyces bailii,Kluyveromyces marxianus and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Extraction of the walls with potassium hydroxide at 4 °C, followed by saturation of the alkali-soluble extract with ammonium sulphate gave fractions of mannoprotein, alkali-soluble glucan and alkali-insoluble glucan. Chitin was associated with the alkali-insoluble glucan. The proportions of the different fractions within the walls varied with the species and strain. Mannoprotein comprised between 25% and 34% of the walls, the content of alkali-insoluble glucan ranged from 15% to 48%, and the content of alkali-soluble glucan ranged from 10% to 48%. There was significant variation in the physical appearance of the alkali-soluble glucans and the relative viscosity of suspensions of these glucans. The yeasts could represent novel sources of polysaccharides with industrial and medical applications.

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Received: 30 December 1997 / Received revision: 24 March 1998 / Accepted: 27 March 1998

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Nguyen, T., Fleet, G. & Rogers, P. Composition of the cell walls of several yeast species. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 50, 206–212 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1007/s002530051278

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s002530051278

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