How does NaCl affects the metabolism of a fungi? NaCl up to a certain concentration promotes fungal growth whereas at higher concentration inhibits it. Can anybody elaborate on the mechanism responsible for both the cases?
Well its a normal phenomenon, any metabolically acceptable mineral in low or adequate amount will be useful and its excess amount will be bad e.g. hypercalcemia in our body etc. Same is the case for fungi too.
Well about higher (filamentous) fungi, people have not studied the affect of NaCl much, but to the level of yeast, especially on halophilic yeast there are publications available particularly on Hortaea werneckii, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, etc. Mostly the high salt creates the low water activity in the cells of fungi which slows down the flow of transportation in and outside fungal cells. In halophilic yeast some bio-compatible solutes helps to maintain the balance of materials inside and outside yeasts.
I am working on obligate halophilic fungi, which cant grow without NaCl, and quite a high concentration helps their metabolic machinery such as enzymes. These come out to be more interesting case than normal halophilic organisms. We are still working to see how they do so.