M. Kopecka et al., ULTRASTRUCTURE OF THE CELL-WALL OF SCHIZOSACCHAROMYCES-POMBE FOLLOWING TREATMENT WITH VARIOUS GLUCANASES, Journal of structural biology, 114(2), 1995, pp. 140-152
The ultrastructure of isolated cell walls of Schizosaccharomyces pombe
was studied by electron microscopy after treatment with the following
purified enzymes: endo-beta-(1-->3)-glucanase, endo-beta-(1-->6)-gluc
anase, and endo-alpha-(1-->3)-glucanase produced by Bacillus circulans
; exo-beta-(1-->3)-glucanase and endo-beta-(1-->3)-glucanase produced
by Schizosaccharomyces japonicus var. versatilis. The exo-beta-(1-->3)
-glucanase had no detectable effect on the walls, but amorphous wall m
aterial was removed by action of the endo-beta-(1-->3) and endo-beta -
(1-->6)-glucanases of B. circulans to reveal a wall component consisti
ng of densely interwoven microfibrils. The fibrils were hydrolyzed by
treatment with the Schiz. japonicus endo-beta-(1-->3)-glucanase follow
ed by B. circulans endo-alpha-(1-->3)-glucanase-suggesting that they w
ere composed of -beta-(1-->3)-linked glucan and alpha-(1-->3)-linked g
lucan. The presence of a fibrillar component in untreated walls was ev
ident after negative staining. (C) 1995 Academic Press, Inc.