Fig. 6: Schematic representation of fungal cell wall adaptation to salinity.
From: Structural adaptation of fungal cell wall in hypersaline environment
Structural diagrams are shown for A. sydowii cell walls in cultures with a, 0.5 M NaCl, and b, 2.0 M NaCl. These diagrams illustrate key components of the cell wall and their distributions in the surface and inner domains separated by the dash line. Blue color gradient of the inner domain represents the extent of water retention. The cell wall thickness and the molecular composition are shown, but not strictly to scale. Compared to 0.5 M condition, the cell wall in 2.0 M NaCl exhibits (1) increased thickness, (2) enhanced biosynthesis of crystalline chitin resulting in higher cell wall rigidity and restricted local motions in the inner domain, (3) reduced water retention due to lower β-glucan content, (4) chitosan aggregation and reduced interactions with other components, (5) inclusion of α-glucan in the mobile phase, (6) enriched content of cationic GalN units in GAG on the surface, (7) increased protein content and rigidity, dehydration of protein, and reshuffled secondary structure, and (8) elevated content of rigid lipids.
