Weber Karrie A, Achenbach Laurie A, Coates John D
Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, 271 Koshland Hall, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720, USA.
Nat Rev Microbiol. 2006 Oct;4(10):752-64. doi: 10.1038/nrmicro1490.
Iron (Fe) has long been a recognized physiological requirement for life, yet for many microorganisms that persist in water, soils and sediments, its role extends well beyond that of a nutritional necessity. Fe(II) can function as an electron source for iron-oxidizing microorganisms under both oxic and anoxic conditions and Fe(III) can function as a terminal electron acceptor under anoxic conditions for iron-reducing microorganisms. Given that iron is the fourth most abundant element in the Earth's crust, iron redox reactions have the potential to support substantial microbial populations in soil and sedimentary environments. As such, biological iron apportionment has been described as one of the most ancient forms of microbial metabolism on Earth, and as a conceivable extraterrestrial metabolism on other iron-mineral-rich planets such as Mars. Furthermore, the metabolic versatility of the microorganisms involved in these reactions has resulted in the development of biotechnological applications to remediate contaminated environments and harvest energy.
铁（Fe）长期以来一直被认为是生命的一种生理需求，但对于许多存在于水、土壤和沉积物中的微生物来说，其作用远不止是营养必需元素。在有氧和无氧条件下，亚铁（Fe(II)）都可以作为铁氧化微生物的电子源，而在无氧条件下，铁离子（Fe(III)）可以作为铁还原微生物的末端电子受体。鉴于铁是地壳中含量第四丰富的元素，铁的氧化还原反应有潜力在土壤和沉积环境中支持大量的微生物群体。因此，生物铁分配被描述为地球上最古老的微生物代谢形式之一，并且在其他富含铁矿物的行星（如火星）上也被认为是一种可能的外星代谢形式。此外，参与这些反应的微生物的代谢多样性已促使生物技术应用的发展，用于修复受污染的环境和获取能量。
