Accumulation of glycerol by the heterobasidiomycetous yeast Rhodosporidium sphaerocarpum in response to external hypertonicity due to NaCl

• Published in: FEMS Microbiology Letters
• Main Authors: Yagi, Tadashi, Ashibe, Emi
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford University Press 1994
• Subjects: Articles; Antarctic; Antarctic Ocean; The Antarctic; Antarc*
• Online Access: http://femsle.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/short/115/2-3/213; https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1574-6968.1994.tb06640.x

The heterobasidiomycetous yeast Rhodosporidium sphaerocarpum isolated from the Antarctic Ocean and a saltpan, showed marked tolerance to high concentrations of NaCl in the growth medium. This yeast accumulated glycerol as a major osmoregulator, as well as Na+ and Cl−, in response to changes in the concentration of NaCl in the external medium. The low levels of another cellular polyol, xylitol, did not respond to changes in the external medium.