Systematics of the genus Candida Berkhout: proton magnetic resonance spectra of the mannose-containing polysaccharides of some further species of Candida as an aid in classification

Differentiation and numerical analysis of oral yeasts based on SDS-Page profiles. Influence of the culture media on the whole-cell protein extracts

The application of gel electrophoresis and numerical analysis of yeast soluble proteins analysis to the investigation of 12 oral yeast strains belonging to five species is described. It involves one-dimensional electrophoresis of SDS-solubilized whole-cell proteins using different culture media for the cultivation of the cells, integration densitometries in the areas of the gels and percentages of the proteins extraction. These extracts were prepared from four isolates of Candida albicans, two of C. tropicalis, C. guilliermondii, C. parapsilosis and C. krusei. The extracts from whole-cells proteins using different culture media for the cultivation of the cells were fractionated by slab electrophoresis using a discontinuous buffer system. The corresponding patterns showed at least 36 polypeptides in the range of 14.4-200 kDa. Different isolates of each species were clearly different in each of the five species. The data obtained suggest that different nutritional compositions led to the expression of different proteins derived from alternatives metabolic pathways expressed by the electrophoretic profiles. The construction of a database of protein fingerprints and numerical analysis based on such data, may have some implications in the classification and identification of such species with epidemiological, ecological and taxonomic purposes. A well defined or synthetic culture media seems to be much properly.

A phylogenetic study on galactose-containing Candida species based on 18S ribosomal DNA sequences

Phylogenetic relationships of 33 Candida species containing galactose in the cells were investigated by using 18S ribosomal DNA sequence analysis. Galactose-containing Candida species and galactose-containing species from nine ascomycetous genera were a heterogeneous assemblage. They were divided into three clusters (II, III, and IV) which were phylogenetically distant from cluster I, comprising 9 galactose-lacking Candida species, C. glabrata, C. holmii, C. krusei, C. tropicalis (the type species of Candida), C. albicans, C. viswanathii, C. maltosa, C. parapsilosis, C. guilliermondii, and C. lusitaniae, and 17 related ascomycetous yeasts. These three clusters were also phylogenetically distant from Schizosaccharomyces pombe, which contains galactomannan in its cell wall. Cluster II comprised C. magnoliae, C. vaccinii, C. apis, C. gropengiesseri, C. etchellsii, C. floricola, C. lactiscondensi, Wickerhamiella domercqiae, C. versatilis, C. azyma, C. vanderwaltii, C. pararugosa, C. sorbophila, C. spandovensis, C. galacta, C. ingens, C. incommunis, Yarrowia lipolytica, Galactomyces geotrichum, and Dipodascus albidus. Cluster III comprised C. tepae, C. antillancae and its synonym C. bondarzewiae, C. ancudensis, C. petrohuensis, C. santjacobensis, C. ciferrii (anamorph of Stephanoascus ciferrii), Arxula terrestris, C. castrensis, C. valdiviana, C. paludigena, C. blankii, C. salmanticensis, C. auringiensis, C. bertae, and its synonym C. bertae var. chiloensis, C. edax (anamorph of Stephanoascus smithiae), Arxula adeninivorans, and C. steatolytica (synonym of Zygoascus hellenicus). Cluster IV comprised C. cantarellii, C. vinaria, Dipodascopsis uninucleata, and Lipomyces lipofer. Two galactose-lacking and Q-8-forming species, C. stellata and Pichia pastoris, and 5 galactose-lacking and Q-9-forming species, C. apicola, C. bombi, C. bombicola, C. geochares, and C. insectalens, were included in Cluster II. Two galactose-lacking and Q-9-forming species, C. drimydis and C. chiropterorum, were included in Cluster III.

Use of lectins for a comparative study of cell wall composition of different anaerobic rumen fungal strains

The technique based on fluorescein-linked lectins used to determine the cell wall structure of anaerobic rumen fungi belonging to genera: Neocallimastix, Piromonas and Sphaeromonas, appears to be an interesting tool for distinguishing between strains. Furthermore this technique shows differences of cell wall composition between different parts of the thallus (spores, sporangia, rhizoïds).