title: Antifungal chitinase against human pathogenic yeasts from Coprinellus congregatus.
abstract: The inky cap, Coprinellus congregatus, produces mushrooms which become autolyzed rapidly to generate black liquid droplets, in which no cell wall is detected by microscopy. A chitinase (Chi2) which is synthesized during the autolytic phase of C. congregatus inhibits the growths of Candida albicans and Cryptococcus neoformans up to 10% at the concentration of 10 μg/ml, about 50% at concentration of 20 μg/ml, and up to 95% at the concentration of 70 μg/ml. Upon treatment these yeast cells are observed to be severely deformed, with the formation of large holes in the cell wall. The two yeast species show no growth inhibition at the concentration of 5 μg/ml, which means the minimum inhibitory concentrations for both yeast species are 10 μg/ml under these experimental conditions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Kangwon National University, Chunchon, 200-701, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Yeeun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yoo
authors.forename: Hyoung T
authors.initials: HT
authors.lastname: Choi
mesh_terms: D000363:Agaricales / Q000201:enzymology*; D000935:Antifungal Agents / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002176:Candida albicans / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D002473:Cell Wall / Q000502:physiology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D002688:Chitinases / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003455:Cryptococcus neoformans / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D020128:Inhibitory Concentration 50; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests
chemical_list: D000935:Antifungal Agents; D002688:Chitinases