An analysis of trehalose, glycerol, and mannitol accumulation during heat and salt stress in a salt marsh isolate of Aureobasidium pullulans

Polyhydroxy compounds from Aureobasidium pullulans exposed to stress treatments of heat, salt, and simultaneous heat and salt were isolated, identified, and quantified. Results from both thin-layer chromatography (TLC) and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) showed that concentrations of trehalose, mannitol, and glycerol increased under stress conditions that induce osmotic- and thermotolerance in A. pullulans. The cellular concentration of trehalose increased in heat-stressed and in simultaneously heat- and salt-stressed cells but not in cells subjected to salt stress alone. Mannitol increased under all stress conditions examined, while an increase in intracellular glycerol was apparent only in salt-stressed cells. The significance of these findings in relation to stress tolerance in salt marsh environments is discussed.