The galactomannan (GM) produced extracellularly by Aspergillus fumigatus has been purified by a double sequential hydrazine-nitrous acid treatment of the ethanol precipitate of the culture filtrate. Nuclear magnetic resonance and gas-liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis have been performed on intact GM, acid-hydrolyzed GM, and oligomers resulting from the acetolysis of the acid-hydrolyzed GM. Results show that A. fumigatus GM is composed of a linear mannan core with an α-(1-2)-linked mannotetraose repeating unit attached via α-(1-6) linkage. Side chains composed of an average of 4 to 5 β-(1-5)-galactofuranose units are linked to C-6 and C-3 positions of α-(1-2)-linked mannose units of the mannan. The immunoreactivity of GM and HCl- hydrolyzed GM was studied by use of human sera from aspergillosis patients and an antigalactofuran monoclonal antibody. The α-(1-2)(1-6)-mannan core is not antigenic. The immunogenic galactofuran is found amongst several exocellular glycoproteins. According to a direct enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay with GM as the detector antigen, only 26% of the serum samples from aspergilloma patients (all positive by immunodiffusion assays) give optical density values superior to a cutoff estimated as the mean ±3 standard deviations of values obtained with control sera.

immunogenicity, Galactomannan, Aspergillus fumigatus, aspergilloma

• Compound ID: 17076
  

  a-D-Manp-(1-2)-a-D-Manp-(1-2)-a-D-Manp-(1-2)-a-D-Manp

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  Structure type: oligomer
  Compound class: mannan
  Reference(s) to other database(s): GTC:G77865AH, CCSD:34382, CBank-STR:2248
  
   
  
  Aspergillus fumigatus CBS 143-89
  CSDB ID 44112 (all data & tools)
• Compound ID: 19004
  

  -6)-a-D-Manp-(1-2)-a-D-Manp-(1-2)-a-D-Manp-(1-2)-a-D-Manp-(1-

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  Structure type: structural motif or average structure ; n=9-10
  Compound class: O-polysaccharide, mannan
  Reference(s) to other database(s): GTC:G01019GW
  
   
  
  Aspergillus fumigatus CBS 143-89
  CSDB ID 44111 (all data & tools)
• Compound ID: 19005
  

  {{{-b-D-Galf-(1-5)-}}}/n=4-5/-b-D-Galf-(1-3)-+ | {{{-b-D-Galf-(1-5)-}}}/n=4-5/-b-D-Galf-(1-6)-+ | | | -2)-a-D-Manp-(1-2)-a-D-Manp-(1-6)-a-D-Manp-(1-2)-a-D-Manp-(1-

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  Structure type: structural motif or average structure ; n=9-10
  Compound class: O-polysaccharide, cell wall polysaccharide, galactomannan
  Reference(s) to other database(s): GTC:G05539KL
  
   
  
  Aspergillus fumigatus CBS 143-89
  CSDB ID 44113 (all data & tools)