Cytochemical localization of some polysaccharide components in the cell walls of Chalara elegans during its life cycle
The occurrence of polysaccharides and sugars in the cell walls of the soil-borne pathogenic fungus Chalara elegans (deuteromycete) has been investigated at the electron microscope level, using cytochemical approaches based on the affinity of lectin or enzyme–gold complexes for some carbohydrates. Evidence for the presence of both β-1,4-glucans and chitinous components is reported here for the first time in the cell walls of chlamydospores, endoconidia, and hyphae. A minor component with N-acetyl-D-galactosamine residues is also detected in the cell walls and, as a storage product, in the cytoplasm. The spatial distribution of both cellulosic β-1,4-glucans and N-acetylglucosamine residues differs according to the fungal cells, and the present results give a more accurate description of the multilayered structure of the fungal walls (i.e., chlamydospores and hyphae). Key words: Chalara elegans, fungi, cell walls, gold cytochemistry.