Adenine-dependent growth of marine yeast,Rhodotorula glutinis var.salinaria under sodium chloride-hypertonic condition

Nitrate and ammonium were shown to alter the growth ofRhodotorula glutinis var.salinaria in saline and non-saline media. In saline medium in which ammonium was the sole nitrogen source, ammonium inhibited growth in the presence of molybdate ions. Detailed comparisons of the growth in saline and non-saline media when nitrate was supplemented in the presence of molybdate ions showed that differences in utilizability of purine bases of nucleic acid were responsible for the differences in growth,i.e. adenine increased the growth in such saline medium, but decreased it in non-saline medium. There was not such a specific requirement for adenine in saline medium in the presence of molybdate ions when nitrate was substituted for ammonium as the sole nitrogen source. It was suggested that adenine might provide the necessary skeleton of nucleic acid for serving nitrate reduction in saline medium.