The diversity of yeasts collected from different sites in Antarctica (Admiralty Bay, King George Island and Port Foster Bay and Deception Island) and their ability to produce extracellular enzymes and mycosporines were studied.

In this paper we report the relationship between carotenoids and ergosterol and cell UV-B resistance in different strains of the yeast Rhodotorula mucilaginosa. Cell survival was studied using a set of 13 strains; additionally, two mutants (a hyper-producing one and a colourless one) in combination with diphenylamine (DPA), a carotenogenesis inhibitor, were used. A positive correlation between total carotenoids and survival to UV-B radiation was found. However, when individual carotenoid concentrations were tested, only torularhodin was found to be significantly related to UV-B survival. On the contrary, ergosterol did not affect survival. The hyper-pigmented strain showed an enhanced survival (up to 250%) compared to the parental strain, while the survival of the albino mutant was similar to that experienced by the parental strain; however, observed changes in survival were dose dependent. The cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPDs), one of the major forms of DNA damage caused by UV exposure, appears as unrelated to the accumulation of carotenoids and cell survival. These results indicate that bearing higher torularhodin concentrations enhances UV-B survival in yeasts and, thus, the accumulation of this pigment constitutes an important mechanism that improves the resistance of yeasts to UV-B.

Nahuel Huapi (NH) Lake is an oligotrophic temperate lake of glacial origin with high transparency, surrounded by well-developed forests and located at San Carlos de Bariloche, Nahuel Huapi National Park, in Patagonia, Argentina. In this lake, we characterized yeast distribution and diversity along a south-to-north transect and established a relationship between the ability to produce photoprotective compounds (PPCs) (carotenoid pigments and mycosporines) and the occurrence of yeast at different collection points. Subsurface water samples were filtered for yeast isolation. Total yeast counts ranged between 22 and 141 CFU L(-1) , and the highest values corresponded to the most impacted sites. Littoral sites had a low proportion of yeast-producing PPCs and this group prevailed in pelagic sites. This is probably a result of the high transparency of the water and the increased UV exposure. The yeast community from NH Lake showed a high species richness and a uniform distribution of taxa between pelagic and border collection points. Yeasts were identified as belonging to 14 genera and 34 species. Rhodotorula mucilaginosa and Cryptococcus victoriae were the most frequently found species, representing 14.4% and 13.6% of the total yeast isolates, respectively. Most of the yeast isolates demonstrated at least one extracellular enzymatic activity (mainly cellulase and lipase activities), which suggested that these microorganisms are metabolically active in the lake.