肽聚糖水解产物：一类重要的信号分子

Peptidoglycan fragments as key signaling molecules

摘要:

肽聚糖是细菌细胞壁的关键组分，对维持细菌形态、保持渗透压稳定至关重要。在细菌正常生长过程中，肽聚糖持续进行合成与水解，并维持动态平衡。肽聚糖水解酶是调控肽聚糖稳态的关键酶类，其水解产物可通过肽聚糖循环途径重新参与生物合成。近年来的研究表明，肽聚糖水解产物还可作为一类重要的信号分子调控抗生素耐药性、促进芽孢萌发、介导种间相互作用等关键生理过程，这极大地深化了人们对细菌生理调控机制的理解。因此，本文综述了细菌中肽聚糖水解酶的主要类型，并重点总结了肽聚糖水解产物作为信号分子调控生理过程的最新研究进展，为深入探究细菌肽聚糖的多重生理功能提供理论依据。

Abstract:

Peptidoglycan as a key component of the bacterial cell wall is essential for maintaining bacterial morphology and osmotic stability. During normal bacterial growth, peptidoglycan is continuously remodeled through synthesis and hydrolysis, achieving a dynamic equilibrium. Peptidoglycan hydrolases play a central role in regulating peptidoglycan homeostasis, and the hydrolysis products (peptidoglycan fragments) are recycled for biosynthesis via the peptidoglycan recycling pathway. Growing evidence indicates that peptidoglycan fragments function as important signaling molecules to regulate critical physiological processes such as antibiotic resistance, endospore germination, and interspecies interactions, greatly expanding our understanding of bacterial physiological regulation. This review summarizes the major classes of bacterial peptidoglycan hydrolases and highlights recent advances in the role of peptidoglycan fragments as signaling molecules in regulating cellular processes, providing a theoretical foundation for further exploration of the multifaceted physiological functions of bacterial peptidoglycan.