Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA.
Microbiology (Reading). 2018 Apr;164(4):421-436. doi: 10.1099/mic.0.000643. Epub 2018 Mar 13.
Azotobacter vinelandii has been studied for over 100 years since its discovery as an aerobic nitrogen-fixing organism. This species has proved useful for the study of many different biological systems, including enzyme kinetics and the genetic code. It has been especially useful in working out the structures and mechanisms of different nitrogenase enzymes, how they can function in oxic environments and the interactions of nitrogen fixation with other aspects of metabolism. Interest in studying A. vinelandii has waned in recent decades, but this bacterium still possesses great potential for new discoveries in many fields and commercial applications. The species is of interest for research because of its genetic pliability and natural competence. Its features of particular interest to industry are its ability to produce multiple valuable polymers - bioplastic and alginate in particular; its nitrogen-fixing prowess, which could reduce the need for synthetic fertilizer in agriculture and industrial fermentations, via coculture; its production of potentially useful enzymes and metabolic pathways; and even its biofuel production abilities. This review summarizes the history and potential for future research using this versatile microbe.
自从被发现为好氧固氮生物以来，威氏固氮菌已被研究了 100 多年。该物种已被证明对许多不同的生物系统的研究非常有用，包括酶动力学和遗传密码。它在确定不同氮酶的结构和机制、它们如何在有氧环境中发挥作用以及固氮与新陈代谢的其他方面的相互作用方面特别有用。近几十年来，人们对研究威氏固氮菌的兴趣有所减弱，但这种细菌在许多领域的新发现和商业应用方面仍具有巨大的潜力。该物种因其遗传可塑性和天然感受性而受到研究关注。工业特别感兴趣的特征是它能够生产多种有价值的聚合物，特别是生物塑料和藻酸盐；它的固氮能力，通过共培养可以减少农业和工业发酵对合成肥料的需求；它生产有用的酶和代谢途径的能力；甚至它的生物燃料生产能力。本综述总结了使用这种多功能微生物进行未来研究的历史和潜力。
