Determination of cellular carbohydrates in peanut fungal pathogens and baker's yeast by capillary electrophoresis and electrochromatography

In this work, the quantitation of cellular carbohydrates, namely chitin and glucan, in peanut fungal pathogens and baker's yeast was carried out by ca pillary electrophoresis (CE) and capillary electrochromatography (CEC). The chitin and glucan of the fungi were hydrolyzed by the enzymes chitinase an d glucanase, respectively, to their corresponding sugar monomers N-acetylgl ucosamine (GlcNAc) and glucose (Glc). These two monosaccharides were then t agged with 6-aminoquinoline (6-AQ) to allow their separation and detection in CE and CEC. The 6-AQ derivatives of GlcNAc and Glc formed the basis for the determination by CE and CEO of chitin and glucan in peanut fungi and ba ker's yeast. Several parameters affecting the separation of the 6-AQ deriva tives of GlcNAc and Glc, including the separation voltage and the compositi on of the running electrolyte, were investigated. Under the optimized separ ation conditions, the contents of cellular carbohydrates including N-acetyl glucosamine, chitin, glucose, and glucan in some fungi, such as Sclerotinia minor, Sclerotium rolfsii, and baker's yeast, were successfully determined . The method described here allowed the assessment of genetic differences i n Sclerotium rolfsii isolates from various locations.