Growth Phase-Dependent Changes in the Carbohydrate Metabolism of Penicillium Strains from Diverse Temperature Classes in Response to Cold Stress

Three fungal strains belonging to the genus Penicillium from different temperature classes (two Antarctic strains—psychrotolerant and mesophilic, and a temperate mesophilic) were used to investigate their metabolic cell response to cold stress. The exponential- and stationary-growth-phase fungal cultures were exposed to a transient temperature downshift from optimal to 6 and 15 °C, respectively. The activity of the enzymes hexokinase, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, and glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase from the glycolytic pathway, and that of the enzymes isocitrate dehydrogenase, succinate dehydrogenase, and malate dehydrogenase from the TCA cycle were studied. In all experiments, the cold-induced oxidative stress increased the indicated enzymatic activities depending on the strain’s temperature characteristics, the degree of stress, and the growth phase. Furthermore, enzyme activity was lower in cells from stationary-phase cultures (older cells) compared to those from exponential-phase cultures (younger cells). The cellular response was more pronounced in mesophilic strains, regardless of the location of isolation. The cold-adapted Antarctic psychrotolerant strain exhibited enhanced tolerance to low-temperature stress compared to mesophilic strains. These findings emphasize the significance of temperature preferences and growth phase in the survival of fungi under conditions of cold-induced oxidative stress. New information could prove beneficial in forecasting the behaviour of fungal pathogens such as plant pathogens in agriculture and human pathogens in medicine.