Changes in the cell wall glycoprotein composition of Candida albicans associated to the inhibition of germ tube formation by EDTA.

Hyphal development in Candida albicans was blocked by EDTA. This effect was not due to a general growth inhibition since the chelator did not affect protein and DNA synthesis. Recovery of mycelial growth was observed when EDTA-grown cells were incubated at 37 degrees C in EDTA-free medium. High-molecular-weight mannoproteins (HMWM) that are mycelium-specific wall components, and particularly a 260-kDa species (HMWM-260), were absent in the wall of cells grown under germination conditions in the presence of EDTA. Synthesis of the HMWM-260 species was not inhibited but its incorporation (secretion) into the wall structure seemed to be blocked in EDTA-treated cells.