SURFACE-PROPERTIES OF THE CONIDIOSPORES OF PHANEROCHAETE-CHRYSOSPORIUM AND THEIR RELEVANCE TO PELLET FORMATION

The conidiospores of the white rot basidiomycete Phanerochaete chrysos porium tend to aggregate during swelling and germination in agitated l iquid medium; as time passes, the initial aggregates tend to associate together and to capture conidiospores that remain isolated. The surfa ce chemical compositions of the conidiospores and of developed hyphae were analyzed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The data were inter preted by modelling the surface in terms of proteins, polysaccharides and hydrocarbonlike compounds. The surface molecular composition of th e dormant conidiospores was estimated to be about 45% proteins, 20% ca rbohydrates, and 35% hydrocarbonlike compounds. There was an increase in the polysaccharide content during germination. Later, when the hyph ae were developed, the polysaccharide content became still higher, and the protein content dropped. The initial step of aggregation is attri buted to polysaccharide bridging; its occurrence cannot be explained b y a change of the overall hydrophobicity or electrical properties of t he conidiospores.