Lipid composition and lectin-mediated agglutination of Candida kefyr cells grown in media enriched with choline or its analogues.

Candida Kefyr cells and their spheroplasts grown in media enriched with choline, N,N'-dimethylethanolamine (DMEA) or ethanolamine (EA) showed decreased concanavalin A (Con A) and ph to hemagglutinin (PHA) mediated agglutination while supplementation with N-monomethylethanolamine (MMEA) increased PHA-mediated agglutination. In all cases, the amount of phospholipid was increased and, consequently, a decrease in the free sterol; phospholipid ratio was observed except in the case of MMEA where this ratio remained almost unchanged. In the cells grown in media enriched with choline. DMEA or MMEA, but not in the EA-supplemented medium, the phosphatidylcholine to phosphatidylethanolamine ratio was increased. Saturation of fatty acids as well as their chain length decreased, which could lead to increased membrane fluidity. No breakpoint in Arrhenius plots of Mg2+ -ATPase of the choline-supplmented cells was observed. Cells grown in media enriched with EA and MMEA did not show any sharp break in Arrhenius plots of Mg2+ -ATPase.