Department of Biology - Microbial Ecology, Lund University, The Ecology Building, Lund SE-223 62, Sweden.
Environ Microbiol. 2013 Apr;15(4):991-1000. doi: 10.1111/j.1462-2920.2012.02807.x. Epub 2012 Jun 19.
Natural formation of organically bound chlorine is extensive in many environments. The enzymes associated with the formation of chlorinated organic matter are produced by a large variety of organisms. Little is known about the ecological role of the process, the key question being: why do microorganisms promote chlorination of organic matter? In a recent paper we discuss whether organic matter chlorination may be a result of antagonistic interactions among microorganisms. In the present paper we evaluate whether extracellular microbial formation of reactive chlorine may be used as a defence against oxygen stress, and we discuss whether this process is likely to contribute to the formation of chlorinated organic matter. Our analysis suggests that periodic exposure to elevated concentrations of reactive oxygen species is a common denominator among the multitude of organisms that are able to enzymatically catalyse formation of reactive chlorine. There is also some evidence suggesting that the production of such enzymes in algae and bacteria is induced by oxygen stress. The relative contribution from this process to the extensive formation of chlorinated organic matter in natural environments remains to be empirically assessed.
有机氯的自然形成在许多环境中广泛存在。与氯化有机物形成相关的酶是由多种生物产生的。人们对这一过程的生态作用知之甚少，关键问题是：为什么微生物会促进有机物的氯化？在最近的一篇论文中，我们讨论了有机物质氯化是否可能是微生物之间拮抗相互作用的结果。在本文中，我们评估了微生物在细胞外形成活性氯是否可以用作抵御氧气胁迫的防御机制，并讨论了这一过程是否可能有助于形成氯化有机物。我们的分析表明，周期性暴露于高浓度的活性氧是能够酶促催化形成活性氯的众多生物体的共同特征。也有一些证据表明，藻类和细菌中此类酶的产生是由氧气胁迫诱导的。这种过程对自然环境中广泛形成氯化有机物的相对贡献仍有待经验评估。
