Supplementary Material for: The Multiple Roles of Polyphosphate in <b><i>Ralstonia eutropha</i></b> and Other Bacteria

An astonishing variety of functions has been attributed to polyphosphate (polyP) in prokaryotes. Besides being a reservoir of phosphorus, functions in exopolysaccharide formation, motility, virulence and in surviving various forms of stresses such as exposure to heat, extreme pH, oxidative agents, high osmolarity, heavy metals and others have been ascribed to polyP. In this contribution, we will provide a historical overview on polyP, will then describe the key proteins of polyP synthesis, the polyP kinases, before we will critically assess of the underlying data on the multiple functions of polyP and provide evidence that – with the exception of a P-storage-function – most other functions of polyP are not relevant for survival of <i>Ralstonia eutropha</i>, a biotechnologically important beta-proteobacterial species.在原核生物中，多聚磷酸（polyP）被报道具有极其多样的生物学功能。除作为磷储备库之外，多聚磷酸还被证实参与胞外多糖形成、运动性、毒力调控，并可帮助生物体抵御高温、极端pH、氧化试剂、高渗环境、重金属等多种胁迫。本研究将首先对多聚磷酸的研究历程进行综述，随后介绍多聚磷酸合成的关键蛋白——多聚磷酸激酶；之后我们将批判性评估支撑多聚磷酸多项功能的相关实验数据，并提出证据表明：除磷储存功能外，多聚磷酸的绝大多数其他功能与具有重要生物技术应用价值的β-变形菌纲物种真养产碱菌（*Ralstonia eutropha*）的生存并无关联。