title: Fungal adaptation to extremely high salt concentrations.
abstract: Hypersaline environments support substantial microbial communities of selected halotolerant and halophilic organisms, including fungi from various orders. In hypersaline water of solar salterns, the black yeast Hortaea werneckii is by far the most successful fungal representative. It has an outstanding ability to overcome the turgor loss and sodium toxicity that are typical for hypersaline environments, which facilitates its growth even in solutions that are almost saturated with NaCl. We propose a model of cellular responses to high salt concentrations that integrates the current knowledge of H. werneckii adaptations. The negative impact of a hyperosmolar environment is counteracted by an increase in the energy supply that is needed to drive the energy-demanding export of ions and synthesis of compatible solutes. Changes in membrane lipid composition and cell-wall structure maintain the integrity and functioning of the stressed cells. Understanding the salt responses of H. werneckii and other fungi (e.g., the halophilic Wallemia ichthyophaga) will extend our knowledge of fungal stress tolerance and promote the use of the currently unexploited biotechnological potential of fungi that live in hypersaline environments.
authors: Centre of Excellence for Integrated Approaches in Chemistry and Biology of Proteins (CIPKeBiP), Ljubljana, Slovenia.
authors: Cene
authors: C
authors: Gostinčar
authors: Metka
authors: M
authors: Lenassi
authors: Nina
authors: N
authors: Gunde-Cimerman
authors: Ana
authors: A
authors: Plemenitaš
mesh_terms: D000064:Acclimatization; D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D001203:Ascomycota; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D005658:Fungi / Q000378:metabolism; D015966:Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal; D010802:Phylogeny; D012965:Sodium Chloride; D017673:Sodium Chloride, Dietary
chemical_list: D005656:Fungal Proteins; D017673:Sodium Chloride, Dietary; D012965:Sodium Chloride