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Basidiomycetous Yeast of the Genus Mrakia

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Fungi in Extreme Environments: Ecological Role and Biotechnological Significance

Abstract

Basidiomycetous yeast species of the genus Mrakia have been reported from a variety of extreme cold environments such as polar regions, glaciers, and high mountains. Several reports indicate that fungal species within the genus Mrakia occupy a major mycoflora in Antarctic environments. These results strongly suggest that this genus is well adapted to the polar environment. The genus Mrakia has unique characteristics such as an ethanol fermentation ability, and the ability to decompose milk fat under low-temperature conditions. Thus, the genus Mrakia has quite interesting characteristics. We believe that the results obtained in previous studies will contribute to the progress of related research fields and hope that further investigation will offer many opportunities to obtain more valuable knowledge on Antarctic microbes and their potential uses for human activities. In this chapter, we review the taxonomic history, physiology, ecological role, and biotechnological applications of basidiomycetous yeasts within the genus Mrakia. In the near future, this genus will become an important agent in the field of low-temperature microbiology.

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Acknowledgment

This research was partially supported byan NIPR Research Project (KP-309), a JSPS Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (A) to M. Tsuji (No. JP16H06211). Institution for Fermentation, Osaka, for Young Scientists to M. Tsuji (no. Y-2018–004), and the ArCS (Arctic Challenge for Sustainability) provided by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan. We are deeply grateful to Masaki Uchida (NIPR).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Institute of Polar Research (NIPR), Tokyo, Japan

    Masaharu Tsuji, Sakae Kudoh & Yukiko Tanabe

  2. Department of Polar Science, SOKENDAI (The Graduate University for Advanced Studies), Tokyo, Japan

    Sakae Kudoh & Yukiko Tanabe

  3. Department of Life and Environmental Science, Faculty of Engineering, The Hachinohe Institute of Technology, Hachinohe, Aomori, Japan

    Tamotsu Hoshino

Authors
  1. Masaharu Tsuji
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  2. Sakae Kudoh
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  3. Yukiko Tanabe
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  4. Tamotsu Hoshino
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Natural Sciences, University of Michigan-Dearborn, Dearborn, MI, USA

    Sonia M. Tiquia-Arashiro

  2. Institute of Biology, University of Graz, Graz, Austria

    Martin Grube

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Tsuji, M., Kudoh, S., Tanabe, Y., Hoshino, T. (2019). Basidiomycetous Yeast of the Genus Mrakia. In: Tiquia-Arashiro, S., Grube, M. (eds) Fungi in Extreme Environments: Ecological Role and Biotechnological Significance. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-19030-9_8

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