[Adaptation strategies of halophilic microorganisms and Debaryomyces hansenii (halophilic yeast)].
The term halophile is used for all those organisms belonging to hypersaline habitats; they constitute an interesting class of organisms able to compete successfully in salt water and to resist its denaturing effects. A wide diversity of microorganisms, prokaryotic and eukaryotic belong to this category. Halophile organisms have strategies allowing them not only to withstand osmotic stress, but also to function better in the presence of salt, in spite of maintaining high intracellular concentrations of salt, partly due to the synthesis of compatible solutes that allow them to balance their osmotic pressure. We describe the characteristics of some halophile organisms and D. hansenii (halophile yeast), that allow them to resist high concentrations of salt. The interest to know the great diversity microorganisms living in hypersaline habitats is growing, and has begun to be the center of recent investigations, since halophile organisms produce an wide variety of biomolecules that can be used for different applications. In this review we describe some mechanisms with which some halophile organisms count to resist the high concentration of salts, mainly NaCl.
González-Hernández
Juan Carlos
JC
Departamento de Genética Molecular, Instituto de Fisiología Celular, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, CP 04510, AP 70-242, México DF. jcgonza@ifisiol.unam.mx
Peña
Antonio
A
D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D000818:Animals; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000502:physiology; D001709:Biotechnology / Q000379:methods; D000460:Chlorophyta / Q000502:physiology; D004734:Energy Metabolism; D004789:Enzyme Activation; D005057:Eukaryotic Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000502:physiology; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; D015966:Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal; D016931:Halobacteriales / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D007424:Intracellular Fluid / Q000737:chemistry; D008563:Membrane Lipids / Q000378:metabolism; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases / Q000502:physiology; D009994:Osmolar Concentration; D009997:Osmotic Pressure; D018521:Plant Physiological Phenomena; D004718:Saccharomycetales / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D012462:Saline Solution, Hypertonic / Q000494:pharmacology; D012995:Solubility; D013402:Sugar Alcohols / Q000378:metabolism; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D005656:Fungal Proteins; D008563:Membrane Lipids; D012462:Saline Solution, Hypertonic; D013402:Sugar Alcohols; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases