Chemical changes in the cell walls of conidia of Penicillium notatum during germination.

Abstract

Conidial and mycelial cell walls of Penicillium notatum were found to be chemically different, the main differences being in the distribution of amino acids, neutral sugars, and amino sugars. The amino acid content was higher in conidial than in hyphal walls but individual amino acids found in spore and mycelial walls were essentially the same, except for basic amino acids (histidine, arginine, and lysine) of which only traces were present in mycelial walls.Four neutral sugars (glucose, galactose, mannose, and rhamnose) were detected in walls of resting spores, but rhamnose was absent at other stages of germination. Galactose was the most abundant sugar in walls of resting spores, while glucose was the main component of hyphal walls. Only one hexosamine (glucosamine) was found in walls of resting and swollen spores but galactosamine was present in walls of germinating spores and mycelium. The content of both amino sugars greatly increased during germination.