嗜酸性硫杆菌群体感应系统研究进展

嗜酸性硫杆菌(Acidithiobacillus spp.)是一类重要的极端环境微生物与工业微生物。该类细菌通过氧化硫或亚铁获得电子以固定二氧化碳进行自养生长,是驱动矿山环境酸化和重金属溶出的关键菌群,也是生物冶金等微生物浸出技术中的核心菌群。群体感应(quorum sensing, QS)系统是细菌种内及种间信息交流的重要方式,广泛分布于嗜酸性硫杆菌等化能自养微生物中,比如类似于LuxI/R的AfeI/R系统。系统介绍近年来嗜酸性硫杆菌菌体感应系统研究成果,尤其是在AfeI/R种群分布、生物学功能、调节机制及其应用研究中的新发现与新理论。讨论今后嗜酸性硫杆菌群体感应系统研究的主要方向及需要解决的关键科学问题,以促进极端微生物群体感应系统理论研究的开展与产业应用技术的开发。

Advances in quorum sensing in Acidithiobacillus spp.

Acidithiobacillus spp. are important extremophiles and industrial microbes. They have the remarkable capability of oxidizing sulfur or ferrous iron to obtain electrons for carbon dioxide fixation and autotrophic growth. Acidithiobacillus spp. are prevalent in acid mine environments, where these bacteria promote the environment acidification and the dissolution of heavy metals. Acidithiobacillus spp. are also most active and dominant bacteria in the bioleaching technologies, such as biohydrometallurgy. Quorum sensing (QS) is an important way for bacterial communication in intraspecific and interspecific species of microbes. QS systems have been discovered in Acidithiobacillus spp., such as the LuxI/R-like QS system (AfeI/R). This paper summarizes recent research achievements on the QS of Acidithiobacillus spp. in recent years, especially in the new findings and theories of AfeI/R-like QS system in the ecological distribution, biological functions, regulatory mechanisms, and applied research. This article also discusses the important directions and key scientific issues in the future researches of QS system in Acidithiobacillus spp., which would promote the theoretical studies of QS system in extremophiles and the development of QS-dependent application technologies.