极端微生物——生物活性物质的新源泉

Extremophilic Microorganisms:New Resources of Bioactive Substances

曾经被认为是"不毛之地"的极端环境,实际上却孕育着大量鲜活的微生物,它们被称为"极端微生物"。极端微生物的发现,对于研究生命起源、系统进化等方面具有重要的启示作用;对于极端微生物的生存机制研究和代谢产物的应用研究,已经使某些新的生物技术手段成为可能,改变了整个生物技术领域的面貌。

It is now recognised that extreme environments, once thought to be too hostile to permit survival of living organisms, are the natural habitat of certain microorganisms known as extremophiles. The discovery and characterisation of a wide array of microorganisms that thrive under extreme values of temperature, acidity, alkalinity, salt concentration and pressure led not only to major improvements in the understanding of the environmental conditions limiting life, but also in the descriptions of early stages of cellular evolution; Meanwhile the search results of adaptation mechanism and metabolites of extremophiles have markedly facilitated and improved our theory and technology in the biogeochemistry and bio-technological applications.