THE WATER-SOLUBLE POLYSACCHARIDES OF DERMATOPHYTES: VI. GLUCANS FROM TRICHOPHYTON GRANULOSUM, TRICHOPHYTON INTERDIGITALE, MICROSPORUM QUINCKEANUM, TRICHOPHYTON RUBRUM, AND TRICHOPHYTON SCHÖNLEINII

Abstract

Polysaccharides obtained from each of the organisms designated in the title have been resolved into three groups: galactomannans I, galactomannans II, and glucans. The five glucans were homogeneous under conditions of electrophoresis, and had identical electrophoretic mobilities and infrared spectra. Methylation and hydrolysis of the glucans yielded varying amounts of the following: 2,3,4,6-tetra-O-methyl-D-glucose, 2,3,4-tri-O-methyl-D-glucose, 2,4,6-tri-O-methyl-D-glucose, and 2,4-di-O-methyl-D-glucose. The glucans were therefore branched polysaccharides, with branches formed by substitution at the C-3 and C-6 positions of D-glucopyranose units and terminated by D-glucopyranose units. The linear portions of the glucans contained 1 → 6 and 1 → 3 linkages but in varying amounts. These differences and some variation in the degrees of branching constituted the only dissimilarities detectable in the glucans by these structural studies.