Department of Biological Sciences, P.D. Patel Institute of Applied Sciences (PDPIAS), Charotar University of Science and Technology (CHARUSAT), Changa, Anand, Gujarat, 388421, India.
World J Microbiol Biotechnol. 2023 Sep 25;39(11):320. doi: 10.1007/s11274-023-03751-9.
Microorganisms produce a diverse group of biomolecules having amphipathic nature (amphiphiles). Microbial amphiphiles, including amyloids, bio-surfactants, and other exo-polymeric substances, play a crucial role in various biological processes and have gained significant attention recently. Although diverse in biochemical composition, these amphiphiles have been reported for common microbial traits like biofilm formation and pathogenicity due to their ability to act as surface active agents with active interfacial properties essential for microbes to grow in various niches. This enables microbes to reduce surface tension, emulsification, dispersion, and attachment at the interface. In this report, the ecological importance and biotechnological usage of important amphiphiles have been discussed. The low molecular weight amphiphiles like biosurfactants, siderophores, and peptides showing helical and antimicrobial activities have been extensively reported for their ability to work as quorum-sensing mediators. While high molecular weight amphiphiles make up amyloid fibers, exopolysaccharides, liposomes, or magnetosomes have been shown to have a significant influence in deciding microbial physiology and survival. In this report, we have discussed the functional similarities and biochemical variations of several amphipathic biomolecules produced by microbes, and the present report shows these amphiphiles showing polyphyletic and ecophysiological groups of microorganisms and hence can `be replaced in biotechnological applications depending on the compatibility of the processes.
微生物产生具有两亲性（amphiphiles）的多种生物分子。微生物两亲分子，包括淀粉样蛋白、生物表面活性剂和其他外聚合物物质，在各种生物过程中发挥着关键作用，最近引起了广泛关注。尽管在生化组成上存在差异，但由于这些两亲分子具有作为表面活性剂的能力，具有界面活性，这对于微生物在各种生境中生长是必不可少的，因此它们被报道具有共同的微生物特性，如生物膜形成和致病性。这使微生物能够降低表面张力、乳化、分散和在界面上附着。在本报告中，讨论了重要两亲分子的生态重要性和生物技术用途。低分子量两亲分子，如生物表面活性剂、铁载体和具有螺旋和抗菌活性的肽，因其作为群体感应调节剂的能力而被广泛报道。而高分子量两亲分子构成淀粉样纤维，外多糖、脂质体或磁小体则被证明对决定微生物生理学和生存具有重要影响。在本报告中，我们讨论了微生物产生的几种两亲生物分子的功能相似性和生化差异，本报告表明，这些两亲分子显示出多系和生态生理群体的微生物，因此可以根据过程的兼容性在生物技术应用中替代。
