Abstract
Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA), polyesters accumulated by numerous prokaryotes in the form of intracellular granules, have been for decades considered being predominantly storage molecules. However, numerous recent discoveries revealed and emphasized their complex biological role for microbial cells. Most of all, it was repeatedly reported and confirmed that the presence of PHA granules in prokaryotic cells enhances stress resistance and robustness of microbes against various environmental stress factors such as high or low temperature, freezing, oxidative, and osmotic pressure. It seems that protective mechanisms of PHA granules are associated with their extraordinary architecture and biophysical properties as well as with the complex and deeply interconnected nature of PHA metabolism. Therefore, this review aims at describing novel and unexpected properties of PHA granules with respect to their contribution to stress tolerance of various prokaryotes including common mesophilic heterotrophic bacteria, but also extremophiles or photo-autotrophic cyanobacteria.
Key points
• PHA granules present in bacterial cells reveal unique properties and functions.
• PHA enhances stress robustness of bacterial cells.
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Funding
This study was partly funded by the project GA19- 19-29651L of the Czech Science Foundation (GACR) and also partly funded by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF), project I 4082-B25. Further, Zuzana Sedrlova is Brno Ph.D. Talent Scholarship Holder – funded by the Brno City Municipality.
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SO, PS, ES, IF, CD, KM, ZS, and MK performed literature review and wrote the manuscript. All authors read and approved the manuscript.
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Obruca, S., Sedlacek, P., Slaninova, E. et al. Novel unexpected functions of PHA granules. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 104, 4795–4810 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-020-10568-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-020-10568-1