Protocols (Materials and Methods)
Chitin Content Assay 2
(adapted from: Chester, C. R., Jr., Harris, J. L., Jacobs, C. W., and Szaniszlo, P.J. 1984.  Effects of polyoxin AL on cellular development in Wangiella dermatitidis.   Experimental Mycology 8, 349-363.)
Index:
(to jump to a listing, click on the desired name to the right)

Materials
Protocol
Results
Tips

  Principle and General Applications
       This chitin content assay was used with developing multicellular forms and  with samples grown at 37°C in the presence or absence of Polyoxin-AL (3 mg/ml, final concentration) in 30-ml cultures contained in triplicate 250-ml Erlenmeyer flasks.
 

(Back to the top)

  Materials
  0.45-µm membrane filters (Millipore Corp., Bedford, Mass.)
glass beads (0.45-0.50 mm)
5% KHSO
5% NaNO2
12.5% NH4SO3NH2
0.5% 3-methyl-2-benzothiazolone hydrazone HCl
0.5% FeCl3
 

(Back to the top)

  Protocol
 
  1. Adjust inoculum level to approximately 106 cells/ml.   Periodically remove aliquots from cultures to measure the cell numbers.
  2. Collect remainder of culture by filtration using 0.45-µm membrane filters (Millipore Corp., Bedford, Mass.) previously dried to a constant weight at 65°C.  Determine the dry weight of each sample.
  3. Dissolve the filters using repeated washes of acetone, removing the residue each time.  Allow the acetone to evaporate.
  4. Add 0.5 g of glass beads (0.45-0.50 mm) to each sample to facilitate dispersal of the residue prior to alkali extraction
  5. After redefining the assay volume, assay acetone-extracted material for chitin based on the Ride and Drysdale method: Physiol. Plant Pathol. 2 (1972) 7-15.
    A.  Add the following reagents to digest the samples:
          The concentrations (% w/v) and volumes (in ml) of the reagents used were:
               suspension of extracted cells, 1;
               5% KHSO4, 1;
           
    5% NaNO2, 1;
               12.5% NH4SO3NH2, 0.33;
                0.5% 3-methyl-2-benzothiazolone hydrazone HCl, 0.33;
                and 0.5% FeCl3, 0.33
    B. Determine absorbance spectrophotometrically at 650 nm.
          Prepare Glucosamine-HCl assay as a standard
 

(Back to the top)

  Results
      
 

(Back to the top)

  Tips
      
 

(Back to the top)

Hit Counter

This page updated on:
Saturday, April 22, 2006 12:08:02 PM

MAIN | FAQ | PUBLICATIONS | AROUND THE LAB | IMAGES | COURSES | RESOURCES | HELP

Website established June 24, 1999
University of Texas at Austin

For questions, comments, or suggestions
please send e-mail to:
szaniszlolab@hotmail.com