The Ecological Niche Protection Function Mediated by Microbial Secondary Metabolites

doi:10.19586/j.2095-2341.2025.0146

Current Biotechnology ›› 2025, Vol. 15 ›› Issue (6): 952-959.DOI: 10.19586/j.2095-2341.2025.0146

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The Ecological Niche Protection Function Mediated by Microbial Secondary Metabolites

Yujing WANG¹(), Jia WU¹, Honge LI¹, Shanshan LI¹, Xiaoni YANG¹, Qingqing GUO¹, Wenran HU²()

^1.School of Basic Medicine，Kunming Medical University，Kunming 650500，China
^2.Biological Breeding Laboratory，Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Academy of Agricultural Sciences，Urumqi 830091，China

Received:2025-10-24 Accepted:2025-11-20 Online:2025-11-25 Published:2026-01-04
Contact: Wenran HU

Abstract

Abstract:

Microbes， as indispensable components of ecosystems， such as bacteria and fungi existed in nearly all natural environments can produce secondary metabolites with varying chemical structures and ecological functions，which endowed the producing strains with ecological niche protection functions. The article reviewed the research progress on the adaptability of secondary metabolites to microorganisms in ecological environments， with a focus on their functions in microbial attack and defense， quorum sensing， interspecies cooperative pathogenicity， virulence， regulation of morphological differentiation， and resistance to ultraviolet radiation. The ecological functions of secondary metabolites in microbial interactions and nutrient acquisition processes， as well as their potential application value in agriculture and medicine， were summarized. It also proposes the use of specific ecological environment microbial resources to mine active secondary metabolites， which would help meet the demand for new compounds with high activity and low toxicity in agriculture and medical fields.

Key words: microorganisms, secondary metabolites, ecological niche, protection

摘要：

细菌、真菌等微生物在生态系统中广泛存在，并可产生化学结构丰富且具有生态功能的次级代谢产物以稳固自身的生态地位，理解微生物次级代谢产物的生态功能有助于人类开发和利用这些天然产物。综述了次级代谢产物赋予微生物在生态环境中的适应性研究进展，重点介绍了次级代谢产物在微生物进攻与防御、群体感应、种间协作致病、毒力、调控形态分化及抵抗紫外辐射等方面的功能，梳理了次级代谢产物在微生物相互作用和营养获取等过程中具有的生态功能及其在农业和医学等领域潜在的应用价值，并提出利用特定生态环境微生物资源挖掘活性次级代谢产物，将有助于满足农业和医疗等领域对高活性、低毒性的新型化合物的需求。

关键词: 微生物, 次级代谢产物, 生态位, 保护

CLC Number:

Q935

Yujing WANG, Jia WU, Honge LI, Shanshan LI, Xiaoni YANG, Qingqing GUO, Wenran HU. The Ecological Niche Protection Function Mediated by Microbial Secondary Metabolites[J]. Current Biotechnology, 2025, 15(6): 952-959.

王玉晶, 吴嘉, 李红娥, 李珊珊, 杨晓旎, 郭清青, 胡文冉. 微生物次级代谢产物介导的生态位保护功能[J]. 生物技术进展, 2025, 15(6): 952-959.

Figures/Tables 2

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群体感应信号	信号分子结构	微生物
AHLs		Pesudomonas aeruginosa
		Chromobacterium violaceum
		Vibrio fischeri，Pectobacterium atrosepticum，Pectobacterium carotovorum，Pesudomonas syringae
		Urkhoderia cepacian，Agrobacterium tumefaciens，Burkholderia glumae，Gloeothece sp.，Vibrio fischeri
		Agrobacterium tumefaciens，Pectobacterium atrosepticum
		Pesudomonas aeruginosa
		Rhizobium leguminosarum，Vibrio harveyi
		Rhodopesudomonas palustris
AIs		Salmonella typhimurium
AIs		Vibrio harveyi
扩散信号因子（diffusible signal factors，DSFs）		Xanthomonas campestris
		Xylella fastidiosa

群体感应信号	信号分子结构	微生物
AHLs		Pesudomonas aeruginosa
		Chromobacterium violaceum
		Vibrio fischeri，Pectobacterium atrosepticum，Pectobacterium carotovorum，Pesudomonas syringae
		Urkhoderia cepacian，Agrobacterium tumefaciens，Burkholderia glumae，Gloeothece sp.，Vibrio fischeri
		Agrobacterium tumefaciens，Pectobacterium atrosepticum
		Pesudomonas aeruginosa
		Rhizobium leguminosarum，Vibrio harveyi
		Rhodopesudomonas palustris
AIs		Salmonella typhimurium
AIs		Vibrio harveyi
扩散信号因子（diffusible signal factors，DSFs）		Xanthomonas campestris
		Xylella fastidiosa

The Ecological Niche Protection Function Mediated by Microbial Secondary Metabolites

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