title: Cerebroside of the dimorphic human pathogen, Candida albicans.
abstract: Structural studies on the cerebroside isolated from the yeast form of a dimorphic pathogen, Candida albicans were carried out using fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry (FAB/MS), proton magnetic resonance spectrometry, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and usual chemical methods. The component sugar was only glucose attached to ceramide in a beta-configuration. The major fatty acid was 2-hydroxystearic acid (62%). The predominant long chain base was identified as 9-methyl-C18-sphinga-4,8-dienine which is widely distributed in fungi and reported to be essential to the fruit-inducing activity of fungi. Therefore, the structure of the main molecular species of the cerebroside was determined to be N-2-hydroxystearoyl-1-O-beta-glucosyl-9-methyl-C18-sphinga-4 ,8-dienine. Cerebroside prepared from the mycelial form of C. albicans has the same structure.
mesh_terms: D002176:Candida albicans / Q000032:analysis*; D002554:Cerebrosides / Q000032:analysis*; D008401:Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy / Q000379:methods; D013058:Mass Spectrometry / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D002554:Cerebrosides