Partial purification of (1,3)-beta-glucan synthase from Candida albicans

(1,3)-beta-Glucan synthase from Candida albicans was solubilized from microsomal membranes using the detergent 3-[(3-cholamidopropyl) dimethylammonio]-1-propane sulfonate (Chaps). Effective solubilization was dependent upon the strain and the method used to detect enzyme activity. The solubilized enzyme was purified over 765-fold using a modified product entrapment technique. Bovine serum albumin, an activator of glucan synthase, precipitated proteins during product entrapment and was replaced with BSA immobilized on agarose beads. SDS-PAGE analysis revealed a prominent 187-kDa band present in the product entrapped pellet as well as several additional polypeptides at 227, and 187, 182 and 39 kDa which were not prevalent in crude preparations.