Department of Biochemical Sciences, Istituto Pasteur Italia-Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy.
FEMS Microbiol Lett. 2018 Mar 1;365(6). doi: 10.1093/femsle/fny029.
The nitrogen cycle pathways are responsible for the circulation of inorganic and organic N-containing molecules in nature. Among these pathways, those involving amino acids, N-oxides and in particular nitric oxide (NO) play strategic roles in the metabolism of microorganisms in natural environments and in host-pathogen interactions. Beyond their role in the N-cycle, amino acids and NO are also signalling molecules able to influence group behaviour in microorganisms and cell-cell communication in multicellular organisms, including humans. In this minireview, we summarise the role of these compounds in the homeostasis of the bacterial communities called biofilms, commonly found in environmental, industrial and medical settings. Biofilms are difficult to eradicate since they are highly resistant to antimicrobials and to the host immune system. We highlight the effect of amino acids such as glutamate, glutamine and arginine and of NO on the signalling pathways involved in the metabolism of 3',5'-cyclic diguanylic acid (c-di-GMP), a master regulator of motility, attachment and group behaviour in bacteria. The study of the metabolic routes involving these N-containing compounds represents an attractive topic to identify targets for biofilm control in both natural and medical settings.
氮循环途径负责自然界中无机和有机含氮分子的循环。在这些途径中，涉及氨基酸、N-氧化物，特别是一氧化氮 (NO) 的途径在自然环境中微生物的新陈代谢和宿主-病原体相互作用中发挥着重要作用。除了在氮循环中的作用外，氨基酸和 NO 也是信号分子，能够影响微生物中的群体行为和多细胞生物中的细胞间通讯，包括人类。在这篇综述中，我们总结了这些化合物在被称为生物膜的细菌群落中的稳态中的作用，生物膜通常存在于环境、工业和医疗环境中。生物膜很难被根除，因为它们对抗生素和宿主免疫系统具有很强的抵抗力。我们强调了氨基酸（如谷氨酸、谷氨酰胺和精氨酸）和 NO 对参与 3'，5'-环二鸟苷酸 (c-di-GMP) 代谢的信号通路的影响，c-di-GMP 是细菌运动、附着和群体行为的主要调节剂。研究涉及这些含氮化合物的代谢途径是一个有吸引力的课题，可以确定在自然和医疗环境中控制生物膜的靶点。
