Ref ID : 3824
W.E. Blanton and C.L. Villemez; Molecular Size and Chain Length Distribution in Acanthamoeba Cellulose. J.Protozool. 25(2):264-267, 1978
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Evidence obtained by total hydrolysis, partial acetolysis, periodate oxidation, as well as treatment with amylase, emulsin, and Trichoderma viride beta-(1-4)-glucanase, verified that the alkali insoluble component of Acanthamoeba castellanii was pure beta-(1-4)-glucan. The weight average chain length of the cellulose varied from DP=3170 to DP=4130 (mean DP=3480) with polysaccharide obtained from seven seemingly identical cultures. Isolation of the cyst-wall cellulose by nondegrading means indicated that alkali extraction was not depolymerizing the polysaccharide. Fractionation of cellulose obtained from a single culture produced fractions from DP=550 to DP=4550 (mean DP=3280; 98.7% of the original cellulose), indicating that the cellulose is polydisperse.