The role of lichen glucans (lichenans, isolichenans, pustulans, nigerans, lentinan-type glucans and laminarans) in the symbiotic association is not very well understood yet. For lichenin, Honegger & Haisch (2001) demonstrated that this Fluorouracil nmr (13)(14)-β-glucan is a structural element of the fungal cell wall and has important functions in thalline water relations. Pereyra et al. (2003) also suggested a potential role of pustulan, a partially acetylated β-(16)-glucan, in the retention and storage of water in the thallus. As observed in free-living fungi, where glucans interact with mannoproteins and with each other to form a strong

cell wall, some of the lichen glucans may have the same function. The role of isolichenan in the symbiotic association has not yet been studied. Its absence in the aposymbiotically grown mycobiont suggests that it may not have an importance as a structural element of the fungal cell wall. As it is synthesized

by the mycobiont only in the presence of its symbiotic partner (green alga Trebouxia) in a special microenvironment, which is the lichen thallus, this α-glucan could be considered as a symbiotic product. What triggers this phenomenon and which biological function is exerted by this glucan in the symbiotic relationship is still unknown. In this study, it was also possible to observe that the aposymbiotically grown mycobiont R. complanata produced two more glycans: a Bleomycin order heteropolysaccharide and a glucan. A comparison of the 13C NMR spectra of Fehling’s O-methylated flavonoid supernatants (fraction SF-SK10) from R. peruviana (Cordeiro et al., 2004b, data not shown) and from R. complanata shows that they are similar. This indicated that these glycans were also present in the previously studied R. peruviana mycobiont. Interestingly, these polymers have not been detected in any of

the lichenized Ramalina studied so far (Stuelp et al., 1999; Cordeiro et al., 2003). Finally, lichens have a significant diversity of polysaccharide structures. The symbiotic source of polysaccharides was investigated only for lichens of the genus Ramalina. Further studies with symbionts of other lichens are necessary to verify whether this phenomenon is reproducible among other lichen symbioses, that is whether there are more polysaccharides that are symbiotic products and are not produced in the aposymbiotic state. This research was supported by CNPq foundation, PRONEX-Carboidratos and Fundação Araucária – Brazil. The authors are also grateful to Dr Roman Türk for identification of the lichen species. “
“Streptococcus iniae is a major pathogen of fish, causing considerable economic losses in Israel, the United States and the Far East.