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Adaptation strategies in haloalkaliphilic fungi: Aspergillus salinarum, Cladosporium sphaerospermum, and Penicillium camemberti

Summary

Researchers studied three special fungi that can survive in extremely salty and alkaline environments. These fungi adapt to harsh conditions by producing more proteins, fats, and special enzymes that have antimicrobial properties. The findings suggest these fungi could be useful for cleaning contaminated soils, producing medicines, and developing new industrial products.

Background

Extremophilic fungi thrive in extreme environments with high salt and alkaline conditions. This study investigates three haloalkaliphilic fungi isolates from Egyptian soils adapted to life under extreme conditions of 15% salt and pH 10, which have potential biotechnological applications.

Objective

To investigate the adaptation mechanisms and biochemical responses of three haloalkaliphilic fungi (Aspergillus salinarum, Cladosporium sphaerospermum, and Penicillium camemberti) to extreme conditions of high salt and alkaline pH, and to explore their antimicrobial potential.

Results

Under extreme conditions, the fungi exhibited increased levels of soluble proteins and lipids, significantly induced peroxidase and tyrosinase enzyme activities, and produced higher quantities of organic acids (citric, oxalic, and butyric acids with total increases of 2.27-2.97%). Culture filtrates demonstrated enhanced antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and Candida albicans, but not against Aspergillus niger.

Conclusion

These haloalkaliphilic fungi display multiple adaptation strategies to extreme conditions and show significant antimicrobial potential. The findings highlight promising industrial applications in biotechnology and pharmaceuticals, with potential use in single-cell protein production, antimicrobial agent development, and saline-alkaline soil remediation.
  • Published in:BMC Microbiology,
  • Study Type:Experimental Study,
  • Source: PMID: 40119261, DOI: 10.1186/s12866-025-03848-1
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