土壤矿物与微生物相互作用的机理及其环境效应

土壤矿物与微生物相互作用是地球表层系统中重要的生态过程.微生物或生物分子与矿物间的吸附(粘附)是两者相互作用的基础.吸附(粘附)是一个由分子间力、静电力、疏水作用力、氢键和空间位阻效应等多种作用力或作用因素共同决定、影响的物理化学过程.因此,微生物和矿物的表面性质如表面电荷、疏水性和它们所处的环境条件如pH、电解质浓度、温度等,都影响着矿物-微生物吸附(粘附)过程.微生物细胞或酶可吸附于矿物表面,其结果是细胞代谢或酶活性会发生明显变化,并进一步影响土壤中诸多相关的生态、环境过程.结合4种典型的初始吸附理论:表面自由能热力学理论、DLVO理论、吸附等温线理论和表面复合物理论及本课题组近年来的研究成果,对土壤矿物与微生物相互作用的类型、机理、作用力和现代研究技术等方面的最新研究进展进行了较为全面的论述,对土壤矿物-微生物相互作用的环境效应进行了讨论,并就该领域今后研究工作的特点及应关注的问题进行了展望.     

烃的微生物摄取机制研究进展*

综述了近期在烃的微生物摄取机制方面的研究进展。对提高环境生物整治效果而言,微生物对非水溶性底物,尤其是烃的摄取机制是重要的课题。随着理论认识的深入和研究手段的丰富,在该领域已有了更多发现和结论。介绍了表面活性剂对烃摄取的影响,细胞表面性质的调整和烃的跨膜输送等方面的近期研究结果;同时,提供了细胞亚微结构分析,细胞趋化性等相关证据,指出了在该领域尚待解决的问题。     

表面自由能在环境微生物粘附研究中的应用进展

在环境领域中,对微生物粘附的利用和控制越来越受到研究者的关注。其中,微生物的表面自由能作为细胞表面重要特性,对微生物的粘附行为有重要影响。本文总结了微生物粘附过程中涉及的热动力学理论、Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek(DLVO)以及扩展DLVO理论,阐述了微生物表面自由能在该过程的重要性。基于此,介绍了接触角表征微生物表面自由能的方法体系及影响因素;分析了微生物表面自由能及其分量的分布特征、与物质组成的关系。最后根据被粘附对象的不同,总结了环境微生物表面自由能在固体基质、液体基质或者微生物相互之间粘附中的应用;指出未来研究发展的方向应关注环境微生物表面自由能的标准化表征及其在复杂环境中的应用。     

烃的微生物摄取机制研究进展

综述了近期在烃的微生物摄取机制方面的研究进展。对提高环境生物整治效果而言,微生物对非水溶性底物,尤其是烃的摄取机制是重要的课题。随着理论认识的深入和研究手段的丰富,在该领域已有了更多发现和结论。介绍了表面活性剂对烃摄取的影响,细胞表面性质的调整和烃的跨膜输送等方面的近期研究结果;同时,提供了细胞亚微结构分析,细胞趋化性等相关证据,指出了在该领域尚待解决的问题。     

聚羟基脂肪酸酯纳米微球：结构特征、生物合成及其在生物技术和生物医药领域的应用

聚羟基脂肪酸酯（polyhydroxyalkanoate）PHA 纳米微球是很多微生物在营养失衡的情况下,在体内合成的一种可生物降解的细胞内聚酯,主要作为微生物的碳源及能量储备。天然 PHA 微球的内部是由疏水的聚酯链构成的疏水核心,其外层是由磷脂界膜及膜上嵌入或附着的包括 PHA合酶 PhaC 和 PHA 颗粒相关蛋白 PhaP 等蛋白构成的边界层。PhaC 通过共价键连接在PHA微球表面,而 PhaP 通过疏水相互作用吸附在 PHA 微球表面。通过将外源性功能蛋白与 PhaC 或 PhaP 进行融合表达,在重组微生物体内就能直接合成表面带有功能蛋白的纳米微球复合体。由于该纳米微球在微生物细胞内是以独立的包涵体形式存在,因此通过细胞破碎及离心等方法就能简便、有效地使其从细胞中分离并得以纯化。鉴于 PHA 微球这种表面易被修饰改造的特性,越来越多的功能蛋白通过与 PHA 微球表面蛋白（PhaC 或 PhaP）的融合表达,呈递在了 PHA 微球表面,使其成为一种廉价、高效的蛋白固定化及呈递的新技术。本文在介绍了 PHA 微球的结构特性及生物合成的基础上,着重综述了目前关于功能化 PHA 微球在蛋白纯化、固定化酶、生物分离、靶向递药、疾病诊断、成像技术及新型疫苗开发方面的研究现状及其未来在生物医药等领域的广泛应用前景。     

生物表面活性剂生产及应用研究进展

生物表面活性剂主要是由微生物代谢产生的,具有疏水基团和亲水基团的两亲性物质,它们能显著降低表面与界面张力。与化学表面活性剂相比,生物表面活性剂具有毒性低、生物兼容性好、可降解等优点,在众多领域具有良好的应用前景,但生物表面活性剂的高生产成本限制了商业化发展。本文旨在分析微生物表面活性剂的生产,重点是生产过程和代谢途径的优化,以探索产量与成本的关键因素,为生物表面活性剂商业化发展提供解决方案。     

微生物细胞表面呈现技术研究进展

微生物细胞表面工程是近年来发展起来的,它利用细胞表面展示技术使外源蛋白固定化于细胞表面,从而生产微生物细胞表面蛋白。微生物细胞表面工程可用于细胞催化剂、细胞吸附剂、活疫苗、生物传感器的开发等。微生物细胞表面工程具有广阔的应用前景,但是国内对这一领域的研究刚起步。在介绍细胞表面工程的基础上,对微生物细胞表面工程技术进展进行了综述,展望了对该技术的发展。     

微生物表面展示技术及其在环境污染治理中的应用

微生物表面展示技术是通过基因工程手段,将短的外源肽或蛋白质表达在微生物细胞表面,该技术可以应用于开发活的细菌疫苗、筛选抗体库、生产生物细胞吸附剂以及制备整细胞生物催化剂。通过金属高效结合肽的肽库筛选和微生物展示技术,将金属结合肽直接展示在微生物的表面,用于处理环境中的重金属污染,为环境中重金属污染的防治提供了一条崭新的途径。利用微生物表面展示技术制备整细胞催化剂,用于有毒有机污染物的处理,可以极大地加快污染物的降解速率。简要介绍了微生物表面展示技术及其在重金属污染治理和毒性有机污染物的脱毒等环境生物修复方面的最新研究进展。     

碳纳米管在生物检测技术中的应用进展

碳纳米管具有良好的表面修饰性、机械性和电学特性,在电化学生物传感器材料领域应用广泛,在病原微生物检测、环境保护、农业以及食品等行业具有广阔的应用前景。该文综述了碳纳米管在生物检测技术中的应用进展,以病毒检测为主分析了碳纳米管在检测技术方面的应用进展和优缺点,展望了碳纳米管在生物检测领域的应用发展趋势。     

包埋法固定微生物细胞技术的新进展

自六十年代固定化酶技术问世以来,固定化细胞技术随之迅速发展。到了七十年代,作为酶源的微生物菌体本身的固定化又引起人们极大兴趣,其研究和应用已涉及食品、化工、医药、环境保护等领域。目前,工业化生产上采用的固定化方法主要有两大类:吸附法和包埋法。微生物菌体的固定化一般采用包埋法。其优点是:(1)微生物菌体包埋在聚合物中不易漏出;(2)操作条件温和、对外界环境的缓冲作用大;(3)可防止微生物菌体的机械损伤,易于再生,产物分离提取容易。 载体的性能影响固定化细胞的机械强度、细胞活性、工作稳定性,因此,载体的选择及其制备方法一直     

Impact of the exopolysaccharides Pel and Psl on the initial adhesion of Pseudomonas aeruginosa to sand

In this study, the impact of the exopolysaccharides Pel and Psl on the cell surface electron donor-electron acceptor (acid-base) properties and adhesion to quartz sand was investigated by using Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 and its isogenic EPS-mutant strains Δpel, Δpsl and Δpel/Δpsl. The microbial adhesion to hydrocarbon (MATH) test and titration results showed that both Pel and Psl contribute to the surface hydrophobicity of the cell. The results of contact angle measurement, however, showed no correlation with the cell surface hydrophobicity measured by the MATH test and the titration method. Packed-bed column experiments indicated that the exopolysaccharides Pel and Psl are involved in the initial cell attachment to the sand surface and the extent of their impact is dependent on the ionic strength (IS) of the solution. Overall, the Δpel/Δpsl double mutant had the lowest adhesion coefficient to sand compared with the wild-type PAO1, the Δpel mutant and the Δpsl mutant. It is hypothesized that in addition to bacterial surface hydrophobicity and DLVO forces, other factors, eg steric repulsion caused by extracellular macromolecules, and cell surface appendages (flagella and pili) also contribute significantly to the interaction between the cell surface and a sand grain.     

Yeast and bacteria cell hydrophobicity and hydrocarbon biodegradation in the presence of natural surfactants: rhamnolipides and saponins

This study concerns the relation between hydrocarbon biodegradation in the presence of natural surfactants and cell hydrophobicity resulting from the use of these surfactants. The relative capabilities of two bacterial strains (Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Bacillus subtilis) and two yeast strains (Candida maltosa, Yarrowia lipolytica) were investigated. The selected microorganisms were tested separately and in combination in order to achieve the optimal degrading performance. The surface cell hydrophobicity of microorganisms and the degree of hydrocarbon biodegradation were measured. The microbial adhesion to the hydrocarbon (MATH) test was used to denote the surface cell hydrophobicity of the microbial species. The results indicate the correlation between the modification of the surface cell and the degree of hydrocarbon biodegradation; however results for bacteria differ from that obtained for yeast strains. Saponins, as the surfactant, was more effective than rhamnolipides during hydrocarbon biodegradation, though the concentration of this surfactant has no significant influence on the surface cell hydrophobicity.     

Phenol and <Emphasis Type="Italic">n</Emphasis>-alkanes (C<Subscript>12</Subscript> and C<Subscript>16</Subscript>) utilization: influence on yeast cell surface hydrophobicity

This study was focused on the role of two types of diametrically different carbon sources, n-alkanes represented by a mixture of dodecane–hexadecane, and phenol on modification of the cell surface hydrophobicity. Capabilities of using either solely hydrocarbons or hydrocarbons in the mixture with phenol as well as phenol itself by yeast species Candida maltosa, Yarrowia lipolytica and Pichia guilliermondii were investigated. Studies were complemented by cell biomass formation measurements. The corresponding cell surface hydrophobicity was assessed by microbial adhesion to the hydrocarbon test (MATH). Degradation of phenol was examined using GC-SPE technique, whereas hydrocarbons were extracted prior to gravimetric determination. Results obtained indicated that the hydrophobic or hydrophilic nature of the carbon source had significant influence on the cell surface hydrophobicity. Although the results differed for some individual yeast strains, the generalization can be made that there is the correlation between the best hydrocarbon and phenol degradation and corresponding cell wall properties of the yeast examined.     

Effects of Bacillus anthracis hydrophobicity and induction of host cell death on sample collection from environmental surfaces

The objective of this study is to determine whether DNA signature recovery of Bacillus anthracis strains from different environmental substrates correlates with pathogen cell surface hydrophobicity and induction of host cell death. We compared recovery of DNA signatures from a panel of B. anthracis strains collected from two environmental substrates, non-porous surfaces and soil, using real-time qPCR. We further assessed both cell surface hydrophobicity of the B. anthracis strains by contact angle measurements and host cell viability in response to B. anthracis infection in a mouse macrophage cell model system. Our studies demonstrated correlation between reduced B. anthracis sample recovery from environmental substrates and increased cell surface hydrophobicity. Surprisingly, the most hydrophilic strain, K4596, which exhibited the highest level of recovery from the environmental surfaces, induced the highest level of host cell cytotoxicity compared to more hydrophobic B. anthracis strains in the panel. Our results suggest that cell surface hydrophobicity may play a leading role in mediating pathogen adherence to environmental surfaces. These findings can contribute to the optimization of pathogen detection efforts by understanding how bacterial parameters such as hydrophobicity and induction of host cell death affect bacterial adherence to environmental surfaces.     

Hydrophobic cell surface and bioflocculation behavior of Rhodococcus erythropolis

An alkane-biodegrading bacterium identified as Rhodococcus erythropolis (NTU-1 strain) was isolated from petroleum contaminated soil. The major purpose of the current research was to study the issues regarding biofloccules formation and cell surface hydrophobicity of NTU-1. When long-chain alkanes are supplied as the carbon source, NTU-1 tends to form biofloccules and remove significant amount of alkanes by biodegradation and physical trapping. Approximately, more than 95% of each alkane could be efficiently removed within 40–68 h. The bioremediation process was accompanied by formation of biofloccules with size ranging from 0.1 to 2 cm in diameter. The MATH test and the hydrophobic slide experiment suggested that NTU-1 might possess a hydrophobic cell surface which is one of the important factors in the formation of biofloccules. It provides the interaction of cells with hydrocarbon droplets effectively and further aggregate into larger clumps. Besides, when grown on n-hexadecane, experimental results revealed that there were at least 11 different growth-associated fatty acids produced, with carbon chain length ranging from 12 to 24, and cell surface hydrophobicity was enhanced via accumulation at the cell surface.     

Monolayer adsorption of a "bald" mutant of the highly adhesive and hydrophobic bacterium Acinetobacter sp. strain Tol 5 to a hydrocarbon surface

The affinity of microbial cells for hydrophobic interfaces is important because it directly affects the efficiency of various bioprocesses, including green biotechnologies. The toluene-degrading bacterium Acinetobacter sp. strain Tol 5 has filamentous appendages and a hydrophobic cell surface, shows high adhesiveness to solid surfaces, and self-agglutinates. A "bald" mutant of this bacterium, strain T1, lacks the filamentous appendages and has decreased adhesiveness but retains a hydrophobic cell surface. We investigated the interaction between T1 cells and an organic solvent dispersed in an aqueous matrix. During a microbial-adhesion-to-hydrocarbon (MATH) test, which is frequently used to measure cell surface hydrophobicity, T1 cells adhered to hexadecane droplet surfaces in a monolayer, whereas wild-type cells aggregated on the droplet surfaces. The adsorbed T1 cells on the hexadecane surfaces hindered the coalescence of the droplets formed by vortexing, stabilizing the emulsion phase. Following the replacement of the aqueous phase with fresh pure water after the MATH test, a proportion of the T1 cells that had adsorbed to the hydrocarbon surface detached during further vortexing, suggesting a reversible adsorption of T1 cells. The final ratio of the adhering cells to the total cells in the detachment test coincided with that in the MATH test. The adhesion of T1 cells to the hydrocarbon surface conformed to the Langmuir adsorption isotherm, which describes reversible monolayer adsorption. Reversible monolayer adsorption should be useful for green technologies employing two-liquid-phase partitioning systems and for bioremediation because it allows effective reaction and transport of hydrophobic substrates at oil-water interfaces.     

Cell surface hydrophobicity and slime production of Staphylococcus epidermidis Brazilian isolates

The cell surface hydrophobicity of 60 isolates and three reference strains of Staphylococcus epidermidis was assayed by means of bacterial aggregation in liquid broth, phosphate-buffered saline, and in ammonium sulfate, as well as by affinity of the bacteria to n-hexadecane and polystyrene surfaces. In order to better characterize the isolates, the influence of bacterial growth time and enzyme treatment on cell hydrophobicity and the analysis of the slime production were also investigated. The strains presented the following profiles when assayed by the ammonium sulfate aggregation test (SAT): SAT < 1M, SAT 1M - <2M, SAT 2M - <4M, and SAT >or=4M. When SAT < 1M, the strains showed positive results for most of the cell surface hydrophobicity tests. None of the strains belonging to the groups with SAT >or= 1M showed spontaneous aggregation (SA), auto-aggregation (AA), or glass adherence, albeit 32 (62.7%) strains were polystyrene adherent and 42 (82.3%) presented weak adherence to n-hexadecane (>20%). The best correlation of the results was found among the AA and glass adherence tests (100%), followed by SA/ glass adherence (98%) and SA/ AA test (98%). The polystyrene adherence test and microbial adherence to n-hexadecane test (MATH) showed 78% correlation. Proteinase K treatment reduced bacterial adherence to polystyrene, but did not influence the SAT values. Three distinct groups of strains were distinguished by the polystyrene micromethod and glass tube adherence assay: 0.0-0.4 O.D. group, including non-glass adherent isolates; 0.5-0.7 O.D. group, including strains with variable profiles (adherent or non-adherent); and 0.8-1.3 O.D. group, composed of glass-adherent strains. Evaluation by a single method seemed not to reliably determine the surface hydrophobicity characteristics of S. epidermidis clinical isolates. Auto-aggregation properties of the strains that adhered to glass seemed related to slime expression, rather than cell surface hydrophobicity. Data also suggested involvement of protein components in adherence to polystyrene, but not in auto-aggregation properties assayed by SAT.     

Surface dielectric constant,surface hydrophobicity and membrane fusion

Summary Membrane fusion induced by ions and its associated membrane property, surface dielectric constant, were studied with the use of acidic and neutral phospholipid vesicles. The fusion of vesicles was monitored by utilizing two fluorescence fusion assays: fluorescence content mixing method and fluorescence labelled membrane component dilution method. For the surface dielectric constant measurements, a fluorescence method was used which detected the environmental effect on the membrane surface upon the addition of various fusogenic cations. Also, the effects of poly-(ethylene glycol) on both fusion and surface dielectric properties were examined. It was found that the extent of fusion correlated well with the degree of lowering in the dielectric constant of the surface membrane, which corresponds to the increase in hydrophobicity of the membrane surface. This agrees with the previously obtained experimental results that the increase in interfacial tension of the membrane, which also corresponds to the increase in surface hydrophobicity, correlates with the extent of membrane fusion.     

The influence of different concentrations of melatonin on the cell surface hydrophobic characteristics of Neisseria meningitidis

The cell surface hydrophobicity of micro-organisms is a characteristic that has been associated with the colonization of mammalian epithelia and with their capacity to induce diseases. Melatonin is a hormone produced by the pineal gland that affects the immune response mechanism. This study investigated, as an expression of the virulence of Neisseria meningitidis, how its hydrophobic characteristics were affected by exposure to increasing concentrations of melatonin. An increase in the cell surface hydrophobicity of N. meningitidis was found at concentrations of 1 mmol l(-1), while lower concentrations of melatonin did not significantly affect this particular cell surface characteristic of the micro-organism. It may be concluded that melatonin clearly influences the cell surface hydrophobicity of N. meningitidis, a circumstance that should be taken into account in future studies to determine whether this hormone plays a role in the variable pathogenicity of the bacteria in different hosts.