In situ localization of cell wall alpha-1,3-glucan in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe.
The yeast cell walls of the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae are well studied and the results show the existence of a framework composed of beta-1,3-glucan. It is reported that the cell wall of the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe has different components and our analysis by 13C-nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy also showed there is alpha-1,3-glucan in its cell wall. To refine our understanding of the architecture of the yeast cell wall, we re-examined the cell wall glucans of S. pombe by NMR spectroscopy and prepared antibody against alpha-1,3-glucan, which is a characteristic component of this yeast. By the competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) system, specificity of the antibody was restricted to alpha-1,3-glucan, which did not take a highly ordered structure. We analysed the localization of the cell wall glucans by immunoelectron microscopy. Transmission electron microscope (TEM) images showed that most of the alpha-1,3-glucan was along the cell membrane and appeared to enclose the cytoplasm, supporting previous reports that this glucan is synthesized on the cell membrane.
Sugawara T, Sato M, Takagi T, Kamasaki T, Ohno N, Osumi M