Xylanase activity. The cells were grown in medium supplemented with 0.5% xylan [52]. Xylanase activity was indicated Selleck ABT-888 by a clear halo around the colony. Pectinase activity. The cells were grown in 0.67% YNB medium, pH 7.0, Chk inhibitor containing 1% pectin [26]. The plates were flooded with 1% hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide, and activity was indicated by a clear halo around the colony on a red background [48]. Esterase activity. The cells were grown in medium composed of 1% bacto peptone,

0.5% NaCl, 0.4% CaCl2*2H2O and 1% Tween 80 [53], and esterase activity was indicated by a white precipitate around the colony. Acknowledgements We thank Ricardo Jaña (Departamento Científico – Instituto Antártico Chileno) for compiling the maps. This work was supported by grant T_23-09 from check details the Instituto Antártico Chileno. Electronic supplementary material Additional file 1: Molecular identification of yeast isolates obtained in this work. Summary of Blast search results obtained for D1/D2 and ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 rDNA sequences. The closets Blast-hits corresponding to uncultured yeasts were not considered. (PDF 62 KB) Additional file 2: Colony morphology of Leuconeurospora sp . isolates. Yeasts were cultivated on YM plates supplemented with glucose. The isolates T11Cd2 and T27Cd2 possess identical D1/D2 and ITS sequences,

yet are morphologically different. (PDF 2 MB) Additional file 3: Carbon source assimilation by yeast isolates obtained in this work. Determinations were performed using the API ID 32C gallery (bioMérieux, Lyon, France) according to manufacturer′s instructions. Gal, D-galactose; Sac, D-sucrose; 17-DMAG (Alvespimycin) HCl Nag, N-acetyl-glucosamine; Lat, lactic acid; Ara, L-arabinose; Cel, D-cellobiose; Raf, D-raffinose;

Mal, maltose; Tre, D-trehalose; 2kg, 2-ketoglutamate; Mdg, Methyl-αD-glucopiranoside; Man, D-mannitol; Lac, D-lactose; Ino, Inositol; Sor, D-sorbitol; Xyl, D-xylose; Rib, D- ribose; Gly, Gycerol; Rha, L-rhamnnose; Ple, pallatinose; Ery, erytritol; Mel, mellibiose; Grt, glucoronate; Mlz, D-mellicitose; Gnt, gluconate; Lvt, levulinic acid; Glu, D-glucose; Sbe, L-sorbose; Gln, glucosamine. +, assimilation; -, no assimilation. Determinations for each yeast were performed twice. (PDF 73 KB) References 1. Margesin R, Miteva V: Diversity and ecology of psychrophilic microorganisms. Res Microbiol 2011, 162:346–361.PubMedCrossRef 2. Robinson CH: Cold adaptation in Arctic and Antarctic fungi. New Phytol 2001, 151:341–353.CrossRef 3. Gounot AM: Psychrophilic and psychrotrophic microorganisms. Experientia 1986, 42:1192–1197.PubMedCrossRef 4. D’Amico S, Collins T, Marx JC, Feller G, Gerday C: Psychrophilic microorganisms: challenges for life. EMBO reports 2006, 7:385–389.PubMedCrossRef 5. Gerday C, Aittaleb M, Bentahir M, Chessa JP, Claverie P, Collins T, D’Amico S, Dumont J, Garsoux G, Georlette D: Cold-adapted enzymes: from fundamentals to biotechnology. Trends Biotechnol 2000, 18:103–107.PubMedCrossRef 6.