Vacuolar control of subcellular cation distribution is a key parameter in the adaptation of Debaryomyces hansenii to high salt concentrations.

Debaryomyces hansenii is a halotolerant and Na-includer yeast that can be isolated from different food and low-water activity products. It has also been defined as a marine-occurring yeast but key aspects for this salt tolerant behavior are far from being understood. Here, we searched for clues helping to elucidate the basis of this ability. Our results on growth, Rb transport, total K and Na content and vacuolar fragmentation are compatible with a yeast species adapted to cope with salt stress. On the other hand, we confirmed the existence of D. hansenii strategies that are generally observed in sensitive organisms, such as the production of glycerol as a compatible solute and the efficient vacuolar sequestration of Na. We propose a striking role of D. hansenii vacuoles in the maintenance of constant cytosolic K values, even in the presence of extracellular Na concentration values more than two orders of magnitude higher than extracellular K. Finally, the ability to deal with cytosolic Na levels significantly higher than those found in S. cerevisiae, shows the existence of important and specific salt tolerance mechanisms and determinants in D. hansenii.