Department of Biology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1, Canada.
Adv Exp Med Biol. 2010;672:65-74. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4419-5979-9_5.
Microbial biosurfactants are amphipathic molecules having typical molecular weights of 500-1500 Da, made up of peptides, saccharides or lipids or their combinations. In biodegradation processes they mediate solubilisation, mobilization and/or accession of hydrophobic substrates to microbes. They may be located on the cell surface or be secreted into the extracellular medium and they facilitate uptake of hydrophobic molecules through direct cellular contact with hydrophobic solids or droplets or through micellarisation. They are also involved in cell physiological processes such as biofilm formation and detachment, and in diverse biofilm associated processes such as wastewater treatment and microbial pathogenesis. The protection of contaminants in biosurfactants micelles may also inhibit uptake of contaminants by microbes. In bioremediation processes biosurfactants may facilitate release of contaminants from soil, but soils also tend to bind surfactants strongly which makes their role in contaminant desorption more complex. A greater understanding of the underlying roles played by biosurfactants in microbial physiology and in biodegradative processes is developing through advances in cell and molecular biology.
微生物生物表面活性剂是具有典型分子量为 500-1500Da 的两亲性分子，由肽、糖或脂或其组合构成。在生物降解过程中，它们介导疏水性底物的增溶、迁移和/或向微生物的附着。它们可以位于细胞表面上，也可以分泌到细胞外介质中，并通过与疏水性固体或液滴的直接细胞接触或胶束化促进疏水分子的摄取。它们还参与细胞生理过程，如生物膜的形成和脱落，以及各种与生物膜相关的过程，如废水处理和微生物发病机制。污染物在生物表面活性剂胶束中的保护也可能抑制微生物对污染物的摄取。在生物修复过程中，生物表面活性剂可能有助于从土壤中释放污染物，但土壤也往往强烈结合表面活性剂，这使得它们在污染物解吸中的作用更加复杂。通过细胞和分子生物学的进步，对生物表面活性剂在微生物生理学和生物降解过程中所起的作用的理解正在加深。
