On the structure of the capsular polysaccharide fromCryptococcus neoformans serotype C

Abstract

The capsular polysaccharide fromCryptococcus neoformans serotype C has been studied using the usual methods for the elucidation of chemical structure. The results are consistent with the occurrence of a polysaccharide having an α 1,3 linked backbone ofd-mannopyranoside residues, every other one of which is doubly substituted with two terminald-xylopyranosyl residues linked β (1,2 and β 1,4 respectively, and with the remainder of the mannosyl residues substituted with a terminald-glucuronosidopyranosyl residue linked β 1,2. Alternatively, the terminal glucuronic acid residue may be β (1,2 linked to a mannosyl residue in the chain already hearing a singly branched β 1,4 xylopyranosyl residue, while the neighboring mannosyl residue carries a single branch of β 1.2 xylopyranoside.