ABSTRACT
The skeletal components of the cell wall of most fungi are the microfibrils of chitin or cellulose, which are cemented by glucans, mannans, galactans, xylans, heteropolysaccharides, and proteins. Cell wall knowledge is advancing slowly, however, in spite of the usefulness of cell wall polysaccharides in taxonomy and the advances in the instrumentation for the characterization of polysaccharides. In order to utilize polysaccharides as chemotaxonomic markers at genus or lower taxonomic levels, a large number must be present in fungal cell walls or in the culture media. Growth conditions and the composition of the culture medium are of paramount importance in fungal systematics. The effect of fungal growth conditions on cell wall composition has received little attention. The glucose and glucosamine content does not change during the incubation period once they have been incorporated into the wall polymers of Aspergillus clavatus. Cell walls are obtained by fragmentation of the mycelium which is repeatedly washed to eliminate the cytoplasmic debris.
