Temperature Sensitive Mutant of Aspergillus nidulans lacking Amino-sugars in its Cell Wall

Abstract

THE cell walls of Aspergillus, Neurospora and related species of filamentous fungi are complex layered structures containing several different polysaccharides^1–3. The complete wall provides mechanical strength and rigidity⁴, prevents the loss of hydrolytic enzymes normally found between the membrane and wall⁵ and plays a part in hyphal morphogenesis^6,7. The importance of the individual wall constituents in these functions is, however, poorly understood^4,6,8. We here report the isolation of a temperature-sensitive mutant of Aspergillus nidulans with altered cell walls; these contain drastically reduced amounts of amino-sugars and may be useful in elucidating the functions of amino-sugar containing polysaccharides.