Cell Wall of Yeasts

Abstract

In spite of significant advances it is clear from this review that knowledge of the detailed structure of yeast walls is meager. The chemical configuration of the polysaccharides, in particular that of glucan, is not yet established beyond a doubt. The types of bonds which hold the different components of the wall together are largely unknown. Information on wall lipids, a relatively major component, is virtually limited to analyses of free and bound lipid contents. Further complications arise from the realization that the composition of walls not only varies within a strain because of cultural conditions, but that profound differences in wall structure exist between diverse taxonomic groups of yeast. There is a bibliography of 74 references.