Effect of sodium chloride concentration in the medium on the composition of the membrane lipids and carbohydrates in the cytosol of the fungus Fusarium sp

The fungus Fusarium sp. isolated from saline soil was identified by the ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 and the D1/D2 domains of LSU RNA as a member of the Fusarium incarnatum-equiseti species group. Its growth patterns on media with different NaCl concentrations indicated its adaptation as halotolerance. The mechanisms of halotolerance included accumulation of arabitol (a five-atom noncyclic polyol), a decreased sterols/phospholipids ratio, elevated level of phosphatidic acids in the phospholipids, and increased unsaturation of phospholipids, which was especially pronounced in the idiophase. The mechanisms of halotolerance of the mycelial fungus Fusarium sp. are discussed in comparison with yeasts and yeastlike fungi.