Projects / Programmes
Extremophilic Fungi: The Effect of High Salinity and Low Temperature on Membranes
| Code |
Science |
Field |
Subfield |
| 1.05.00 |
Natural sciences and mathematics |
Biochemistry and molecular biology |
|
| Code |
Science |
Field |
| P004 |
Natural sciences and mathematics |
Biochemistry, Metabolism |
| P340 |
Natural sciences and mathematics |
Lipids, steroids, membranes |
| P320 |
Natural sciences and mathematics |
Nucleic acids, protein synthesis |
| B230 |
Biomedical sciences |
Microbiology, bacteriology, virology, mycology |
black yeasts, fungi, membrane, lipids, fatty acids, sterols, membrane fluidity, extreme environment, hypersaline water, ice, Arctics, extremophiles
Researchers (12)
Organisations (2)
Abstract
Natural environments, characterized by extreme physico-chemical characteristics, such as salterns, hot and cold deserts, deep-sea waters, etc. are frequently thought to be dominated only by bacteria and archaea. However, few eukaryotic microorganisms are able to successfully conquer certain extreme environments. The dominant ones among them are melanized ascomycetous fungi named "black yeasts". They have been isolated from very different extreme environments, such as hypersaline habitats and Arctic glacial and marine ice. Low water activity is the main limiting factor for the organisms inhabiting both of these two different extreme environments. Based on this fact, our hypothesis is that fungi inhabiting extremely cold environments and those from hypersaline environments most probably have similar adaptations at the level of the membranes. The aim of the study will be to determine the influence of low temperatures and high NaCl concentration on the lipid composition and characteristics of the plasma membranes, with emphasis on its fluidity, to the presence of sterols as potential bioindicator lipid molecules, and to the possible presence of biotechnologically important polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). Since altered membrane lipid composition implies differences in lipid metabolism, we will also investigate the expression profile of selected genes, involved in lipid synthesis. The objectives of our research are: (1) to identify common mechanisms of adaptation to high salinity and low temperatures at the membrane level;
(2) to provide explanations for environmentally-induced adaptive alterations in membrane lipid composition and link them with changes in membrane fluidity;
(3) to unravel the general features of the black yeasts membrane composition and properties that enable them to thrive in different extreme environments.
