Study on Aluminum Toxicity and Tolerance Mechanisms of Microorganisms
微生物铝毒和耐铝机制的研究现状

Aluminum (Al) is the most abundant metal on earth and is solubilized to toxic level as the free Al~(3 ) under acidic conditions. It is a serious environmental toxicant and is inimical to biota, which has been testified in many model organisms. In recent years, biologists have become more aware of the importance of the mechanisms of Al-toxicity and Al-tolerance in environmental and life sciences. In this paper, we reviewed four mechanisms of Al toxicity and tolerance in microorganisms, including (1) excreting organic acids to chelate Al~(3 ), (2) overexpressing Mg~(2 ) transporter protein to transport Mg~(2 ) into the cell, (3) segregating Al~(3 ) in vacuole by F-1F-0-ATPase and V-ATPase to eliminate the toxicity of Al~(3 ) and (4) regulating the oxidative stress to modify the Al toxicity and tolerance mechanism in microorganisms.