QOPNA, Department of Chemistry, University of Aveiro, Campus de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal.
Biotechnol Adv. 2013 Dec;31(8):1426-34. doi: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2013.06.007. Epub 2013 Jul 3.
Hydrostatic pressure is a well-known physical parameter which is now considered an important variable of life, since organisms have the ability to adapt to pressure changes, by the development of resistance against this variable. In the past decades a huge interest in high hydrostatic pressure (HHP) technology is increasingly emerging among food and biosciences researchers. Microbial specific stress responses to HHP are currently being investigated, through the evaluation of pressure effects on biomolecules, cell structure, metabolic behavior, growth and viability. The knowledge development in this field allows a better comprehension of pressure resistance mechanisms acquired at sub-lethal pressures. In addition, new applications of HHP could arise from these studies, particularly in what concerns to biotechnology. For instance, the modulation of microbial metabolic pathways, as a response to different pressure conditions, may lead to the production of novel compounds with potential biotechnological and industrial applications. Considering pressure as an extreme life condition, this review intends to present the main findings so far reported in the scientific literature, focusing on microorganisms with the ability to withstand and to grow in high pressure conditions, whether they have innated or acquired resistance, and show the potential of the application of HHP technology for microbial biotechnology.
静水压力是一个众所周知的物理参数，现在被认为是生命的一个重要变量，因为生物体有能力通过对这种变量的抵抗力的发展来适应压力变化。在过去的几十年中，食品和生物科学研究人员对高静水压力（HHP）技术产生了浓厚的兴趣。目前，人们正在通过评估 HHP 对生物分子、细胞结构、代谢行为、生长和活力的影响，来研究微生物对 HHP 的特定应激反应。该领域的知识发展使人们能够更好地理解在亚致死压力下获得的抗压机制。此外，这些研究可能会产生 HHP 的新应用，特别是在生物技术方面。例如，微生物代谢途径的调节，作为对不同压力条件的反应，可能会导致产生具有潜在生物技术和工业应用的新型化合物。考虑到压力是一种极端的生活条件，本文旨在介绍迄今为止在科学文献中报道的主要发现，重点介绍那些具有在高压条件下生存和生长能力的微生物，无论它们是具有先天还是后天的抗性，并展示 HHP 技术在微生物生物技术中的应用潜力。
