Bacterial transport and catabolism of human malodour precursors

体臭（BO）的特征气味是我们大家都熟悉的，是一个生物过程，是哺乳动物中已知的进化特征，与配偶选择和性吸引有很强的关联。不为人知的是，气味本身仅仅是腋下（腋窝）微生物群代谢的产物。我们已经发现了许多生活在人类腋窝中的细菌，它们负责产生两种主要的BO组分，硫醇和挥发性脂肪酸。在这个项目中，我们将充分阐明生产这些化学物质的分子和生物化学基础，无论是在转运蛋白的水平，将无味的腋窝分泌物带入细菌细胞，还是从这种前体中释放恶臭分子的细胞内酶。该项目是一项LINK赠款申请，也将为联合利华（一家总部位于英国的大型公司）提供重要数据，以推进其清洁剂业务

The characteristic smell of body odour (BO) is familiar to us all and is a biological process that is a known evolutionary trait in mammals, with strong associations to mate selection and sexual attraction. What is not widely known is that odours themselves are solely the product of metabolism of the underarm (axilla) microbiota. We have discovered a number of bacteria that live in the human axilla that are responsible for the production of two major BO components, thioalcohols and volatile fatty acids. In this project we will fully elucidate the molecular and biochemical basis for the production of these chemicals, both at the level of the transporters that taken the odourless axilla secretions up into the bacterial cells and the intracellular enzymes that liberate the malodourous molecules from this precursors. The project, a LINK grant application, will also provide important data for Unilever, a large UK based company, to progress their deodorants business