This review describes recent findings based on structural and immunochemical analyses of the cell wall mannan of Candida albicans, and other medically important Candida species. Mannan has been shown to consist of α-1,2-, α-1,3-, α-1,6-, and β-1,2-linked mannopyranose units with few phosphate groups. Each Candida species has a unique mannan structure biosynthesized by sequential collaboration b...

To investigate whether cell wall mannan from Candida metapsilosis induces vasculitis similar to that in Kawasaki syndrome and anaphylactoid shock in mice, we examined the pathogenic effects of C. metapsilosis cell wall extracts. Our results show that intraperitoneal injection of cell wall extracts induced severe coronary arteritis, and intravenous injection induced acute anaphylactoid shock sim...

Immunoglobulin G (IgG) and T-cell-derived antigen binding molecules (TABM) specific to whole Candida extract and to Candida-derived mannans prepared by both the cetryltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and alkaline degradation (PEAT) methods were measured in the sera of women with vulvovaginal candidiasis and controls. In the patients there were significantly higher levels of IgG to both CTAB and...

Clearances of mannan antigen from Candida albicans and glucuronoxylomannan antigen from Cryptococcus neoformans were examined in nonimmune rabbits by using self-prepared latex agglutination tests. Injected intravenously, 20 mg of Candida mannan antigen was cleared from the serum with a half-life of approximately 2 h. In contrast, 20 micrograms of Cryptococcus glucuronoxylomannan antigen had a h...

A soil microorganism, designated Arfhrobacfer GJM-1, has been isolated which is capable of growing on Saccharomyces cerevisiae mannan as the carbon source. When grown on mannan, the microorganism secretes an a-mannosidase into the cultural medium. The enzyme is not found when mannose, glucose, or glycerol is substituted for mannan, but is present when oligosaccharides obtained by acetolysis of ...

A soil microorganism, designated Arfhrobacfer GJM-1, has been isolated which is capable of growing on Saccharomyces cerevisiae mannan as the carbon source. When grown on mannan, the microorganism secretes an a-mannosidase into the cultural medium. The enzyme is not found when mannose, glucose, or glycerol is substituted for mannan, but is present when oligosaccharides obtained by acetolysis of ...