甲烷生物氧化在全球甲烷平衡和温室效应控制中扮演着重要的角色,而铜是甲烷生物氧化过程中的重要影响因子.一方面,铜是调控不同类型甲烷单加氧酶表达的主要影响因子,是组成颗粒性甲烷单加氧酶的必需金属元素;另一方面,在自然环境体系中,铜含量及其形态的变化对甲烷氧化菌的分布、代谢甲烷和非甲烷类有机化合物的能力以及甲烷氧化菌的特异性铜捕获系统也会产生较大影响.准确把握铜在甲烷生物氧化过程中发挥的作用将有助于全面了解甲烷生物氧化过程,进而更好地指导甲烷氧化微生物在温室气体减排及非甲烷有机物污染修复中的应用.本文主要从铜的角度,概述了铜对甲烷氧化菌的分布和活性的影响,介绍了铜在调控甲烷单加氧酶的表达和活性以及调节甲烷氧化菌铜捕获系统方面的作用,并展望了其研究方向.
Methane bio-oxidation plays an important role in the global methane balance and war- ming mitigation, while copper has a crucial function in methane bio-oxidation. On one side, copper is known to be a key factor in regulating the expression of the genes encoding the two forms of meth- ane monooxygenases (MMOs) and is the essential metal element of the particulate methane monooxy- genase (pMMO). On the other side, the content and fractionation of copper in the environment have great effects on the distribution of methanotrophs and their metabolic capability of methane and non-methane organic compounds, as well as on the copper-specific uptake systems in methanotro- phs. Thus, it is meaningful to know the role of copper in methane bio-oxidation for comprehensive understanding of this process and is valuable for guiding the application of methanotrophs in green- house gas removal and pollution remediation. In this paper, the roles of copper in methane oxida- tion were reviewed, including the effect of copper on methanotrophic community structure and activ- ity, the expression and activity of MMOs as well as the copper uptake systems in methanotrophs. The future studies of copper and methane oxidation were also discussed.