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. 1974 Aug;119(2):602–611. doi: 10.1128/jb.119.2.602-611.1974

Chemical and Ultrastructural Studies on the Cell Walls of the Yeastlike and Mycelial Forms of Histoplasma farciminosum

Gioconda San-Blas 1, Luis M Carbonell 1
PMCID: PMC245647  PMID: 4850991

Abstract

The cell wall of the yeast form of Histoplasma farciminosum contains 13.2% β-1,3-glucan, 1.0% galactomannan, and 25.8% chitin, whereas the cell wall of mycelial form has 21.8, 4.5, and 40%, respectively, for the same polymers. Also, the cell wall of the yeast form contains α-1,3-glucan (13.5%) and an unidentified polymer (21.5%). Chitin, one of the structural polymers of both yeast and mycelial cell walls, is identified as thin isolated fibers (4 nm wide) or in thick bundles (50 nm wide) of fibers. β-(1-3)-Glucan is also found as thin isolated fibers indistinguishable from isolated fibers of chitin. Fibers 14 nm wide and resembling α-(1-3)-glucan fibers of other fungi are found in the yeast form. The results reported here do not give support to the proposal for a different taxonomic classification.

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Selected References

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