A Large Mannan Molecule Released From Isolated Yeast Cell Walls by the Action of Snail Gut Juice

The molecular weight of the mannans dissolved from isolated yeast cell walls by the action of snail gut juice is shown to be about two to three times as large as that of the more familiar type of mannan preparation which has been extracted in the presence of sodium hydroxide. Other types of large mannan molecules are associated with certain intracellular membranes. The availability of the former materials may facilitate the study of the chemistry of the alkali-labile bonds on which the integrity of the yeast cell wall depends.