甜菜碱在微生物中的代谢及应用研究进展

Betaine metabolism in microorganism and its application

甜菜碱广泛分布于自然界,在许多微生物(包括细菌、古细菌和真菌)中都有发现.由于其特殊功能,许多微生物利用甜菜碱作为功能性化学物质并且已经演化出与甜菜碱生物合成和分解相关的代谢途径.甜菜碱的主要作用是防止微生物细胞受干旱、渗透胁迫和温度胁迫的影响,且在微生物甲基代谢中也具有重要作用.本文综述了微生物中甜菜碱的生物合成、转运、分解代谢和功能,并总结了甜菜碱在微生物发酵中的应用案例.甜菜碱独特的生物相容性及生理活性将使其在生物技术领域具有广阔的应用前景.

Betaine is widely existed in nature and has been found in many microorganisms, such as bacteria, archaea, and fungi. Because of its particular functions, many microorganisms utilize betaine as a functional chemical and have evolved different related metabolic pathways for biosynthesis and catabolism of betaine. The major function of betaine is preventing microorganisms from drought, osmotic stress, and temperature stress. Meanwhile, betaine plays an important role in the methyl group metabolism. This study reviews the transport, synthesis, catabolism, and functions of betaine in microorganisms and summarizes the application of betaine in microbial fermentation. The unique biocompatibility and physiological activity of betaine demonstrated its broad application in the field of biotechnology.