Flemming Hans-Curt, van Hullebusch Eric D, Little Brenda J, Neu Thomas R, Nielsen Per H, Seviour Thomas, Stoodley Paul, Wingender Jost, Wuertz Stefan
Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering (SCELSE), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore.
Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (IOCAS), Qingdao, China.
Nat Rev Microbiol. 2025 Feb;23(2):87-105. doi: 10.1038/s41579-024-01098-y. Epub 2024 Sep 27.
Microbial biofilms exhibit a self-produced matrix of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), including polysaccharides, proteins, extracellular DNA and lipids. EPS promote interactions of the biofilm with other cells and sorption of organics, metals and chemical pollutants, and they facilitate cell adhesion at interfaces and ensure matrix cohesion. EPS have roles in various natural environments, such as soils, sediments and marine habitats. In addition, EPS are relevant in technical environments, such as wastewater and drinking water treatment facilities, and water distribution systems, and they contribute to biofouling and microbially influenced corrosion. In medicine, EPS protect pathogens within the biofilm against the host immune system and antimicrobials, and emerging evidence suggests that EPS can represent potential virulence factors. By contrast, EPS yield a wide range of valuable products that include their role in self-repairing concrete. In this Review, we aim to explore EPS as a functional unit of biofilms in the environment, in technology and in medicine.
微生物生物膜呈现出一种由胞外聚合物（EPS）构成的自我产生的基质，包括多糖、蛋白质、胞外DNA和脂质。EPS促进生物膜与其他细胞的相互作用以及有机物、金属和化学污染物的吸附，它们有助于细胞在界面处的黏附并确保基质的凝聚。EPS在各种自然环境中发挥作用，如土壤、沉积物和海洋栖息地。此外，EPS在技术环境中也很重要，如废水和饮用水处理设施以及供水系统，它们会导致生物污垢和微生物影响的腐蚀。在医学领域，EPS保护生物膜内的病原体免受宿主免疫系统和抗菌剂的影响，新出现的证据表明EPS可能是潜在的毒力因子。相比之下，EPS能产生多种有价值的产品，包括它们在自修复混凝土中的作用。在本综述中，我们旨在探讨EPS作为生物膜在环境、技术和医学中的功能单元。
