CHARACTERIZATION OF EPITOPES RECOGNIZED BY CANDIDA FACTOR-I AND FACTOR-IX ANTISERA BY USE OF SACCHAROMYCES-CEREVISIAE MNN MUTANTS

The use of Saccharomyces cerevisiae mnn mutants has facilitated the st udy of the epitopes recognized by antisera against several antigenic f actors of the genus Candida (Candida Check; Iatron Laboratories, Tokyo , Japan). We have taken advantage of the very well characterized struc ture of the mannans of the different mnn mutants to compare their reac tivities with the factor antisera used in the identification of differ ent species of the genus Candida. The results of this study provide ev idence that one of the antigenic determinants recognized by factor 1 a ntisera is the 0-linked mannose chains of the cell wall mannoproteins, while that recognized by factor 9 antiserum is the alpha1-6-linked ma nnose backbone of the outer chain of the N-linked oligosaccharide.