环境地球化学国家重点实验室知识库

Bacillus mucilaginosus has already been proved to be capable of degrading silicate minerals, but it is not very clear about the molecular mechanisms of bacterial mineral weathering. To understand the relationship between bacterial weathering of minerals and bacterial secreted proteins, B. mucilaginosus was chosen to study the expression of its extracellular proteins in the process of weathering potassium minerals. This article reveals that certain secreted proteins, related to weathering of potassium minerals, can be induced under conditions such as bacterial nutritional deficiency and the existence of K-bearing rock powders. This suggests direct evidence of the metabolic changes of extracellular enzymes in bacteria during the process of weathering of potassium minerals. It was speculated that these secreted proteins, together with extracellular polymers like polysaccharides, may accelerate the weathering of potassium minerals, resulting in the release of K⁺ needed for the bacterial growth.