Effect of nystatin on the release of glycerol from salt-stressed cells of the salt-tolerant yeast Zygosaccharomyces rouxii

The polyene antibiotic nystatin, which affects fungal membrane permeability, inhibited the growth of Zygosaccharomyces rouxii grown in medium containing 15%(w/v) NaCl, whereas yeast grown in medium without NaCl were only slightly inhibited. Nystatin caused salt stressed cells to release large amounts of glycerol and inhibited their growth, but amino acids and materials with an absorbance at 260 nm were not released from the cells. The leakage was increased by the addition of glucose, and more than 90% of the intracellular glycerol was released into the medium during a 2-h incubation with 0.11 muM nystatin and 2% (w/v) glucose. Glycerol was indispensable for the growth of Z. rouxii grown in culture medium containing 15% NaCl.