ThedddPgene, encoding a novel enzyme that converts dimethylsulfoniopropionate into dimethyl sulfide, is widespread in ocean metagenomes and marine bacteria and also occurs in some Ascomycete fungi

Two analogues of 3-(dimethylsulfonio)propanoate (DMSP), 3-(diallylsulfonio)propanoate (DAllSP), and 3-(allylmethylsulfonio)propanoate (AllMSP), were synthesized and fed to marine bacteria from the Roseobacter clade. These bacteria are able to degrade DMSP into dimethyl sulfide and methanethiol. The DMSP analogues were also degraded, resulting in the release of allylated sulfur volatiles known from garlic. For unknown compounds, structural suggestions were made based on their mass spectrometric fragmentation pattern and confirmed by the synthesis of reference compounds. The results of the feeding experiments allowed to conclude on the substrate tolerance of DMSP degrading enzymes in marine bacteria.

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Transformation of Sulfur Compounds by an Abundant Lineage of Marine Bacteria in the α-Subclass of the ClassProteobacteria

Applied and Environmental Microbiology ◽

10.1128/aem.65.9.3810-3819.1999 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 65 (9) ◽

pp. 3810-3819 ◽

Cited By ~ 242

Author(s):

José M. González ◽

Ronald P. Kiene ◽

Mary Ann Moran

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Marine Bacteria ◽

Dimethyl Sulfide ◽

Sulfur Metabolism ◽

Methanesulfonic Acid ◽

Sulfur Compounds ◽

Coastal Seawater ◽

Phylogenetic Cluster ◽

Oxygenase Activity ◽

Dna Pool

ABSTRACT Members of a group of marine bacteria that is numerically important in coastal seawater and sediments were characterized with respect to their ability to transform organic and inorganic sulfur compounds. Fifteen strains representing the Roseobacter group (a phylogenetic cluster of marine bacteria in the α-subclass of the class Proteobacteria) were isolated from seawater, primarily from the southeastern United States. Although more than one-half of the isolates were obtained without any selection for sulfur metabolism, all of the isolates were able to degrade the sulfur-containing osmolyte dimethyl sulfoniopropionate (DMSP) with production of dimethyl sulfide (DMS). Five isolates also degraded DMSP with production of methanethiol, indicating that both cleavage and demethylation pathways for DMSP occurred in the same organism, which is unusual. Five isolates were able to reduce dimethyl sulfoxide to DMS, and several isolates also degraded DMS and methanethiol. Sulfite oxygenase activity and methanesulfonic acid oxygenase activity were also present in some of the isolates. The ability to incorporate the reduced sulfur in DMSP and methanethiol into cellular material was studied with one of the isolates. A group-specific 16S rRNA probe indicated that the relative abundance of uncultured bacteria in theRoseobacter group increased in seawater enriched with DMSP or DMS. Because this group typically accounts for >10% of the 16S ribosomal DNA pool in coastal seawater and sediments of the southern United States, clues about its potential biogeochemical role are of particular interest. Studies of culturable representatives suggested that the group could mediate a number of steps in the cycling of both organic and inorganic forms of sulfur in marine environments.

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Abundance and Distribution of Dimethylsulfoniopropionate Degradation Genes and the Corresponding Bacterial Community Structure at Dimethyl Sulfide Hot Spots in the Tropical and Subtropical Pacific Ocean

Applied and Environmental Microbiology ◽

10.1128/aem.03873-14 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 81 (12) ◽

pp. 4184-4194 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

Yingshun Cui ◽

Shotaro Suzuki ◽

Yuko Omori ◽

Shu-Kuan Wong ◽

Minoru Ijichi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Pacific Ocean ◽

Marine Bacteria ◽

Dimethyl Sulfide ◽

16S Rrna Genes ◽

Rrna Genes ◽

Surface Seawater ◽

Content Type ◽

The Pacific ◽

The Pacific Ocean ◽

Abundance And Distribution

ABSTRACTDimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) is mainly produced by marine phytoplankton but is released into the microbial food web and degraded by marine bacteria to dimethyl sulfide (DMS) and other products. To reveal the abundance and distribution of bacterial DMSP degradation genes and the corresponding bacterial communities in relation to DMS and DMSP concentrations in seawater, we collected surface seawater samples from DMS hot spot sites during a cruise across the Pacific Ocean. We analyzed the genes encoding DMSP lyase (dddP) and DMSP demethylase (dmdA), which are responsible for the transformation of DMSP to DMS and DMSP assimilation, respectively. The averaged abundance (±standard deviation) of these DMSP degradation genes relative to that of the 16S rRNA genes was 33% ± 12%. The abundances of these genes showed large spatial variations.dddPgenes showed more variation in abundances thandmdAgenes. Multidimensional analysis based on the abundances of DMSP degradation genes and environmental factors revealed that the distribution pattern of these genes was influenced by chlorophyllaconcentrations and temperatures.dddPgenes,dmdAsubclade C/2 genes, anddmdAsubclade D genes exhibited significant correlations with the marineRoseobacterclade, SAR11 subgroup Ib, and SAR11 subgroup Ia, respectively. SAR11 subgroups Ia and Ib, which possesseddmdAgenes, were suggested to be the main potential DMSP consumers. TheRoseobacterclade members possessingdddPgenes in oligotrophic subtropical regions were possible DMS producers. These results suggest that DMSP degradation genes are abundant and widely distributed in the surface seawater and that the marine bacteria possessing these genes influence the degradation of DMSP and regulate the emissions of DMS in subtropical gyres of the Pacific Ocean.

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Phylogenetic diversity of the dddP gene for dimethylsulfoniopropionate-dependent dimethyl sulfide synthesis in mangrove soils

Canadian Journal of Microbiology ◽

10.1139/w2012-019 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 58 (4) ◽

pp. 523-530 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Mengjun Peng ◽

Qingyi Xie ◽

Huo Hu ◽

Kui Hong ◽

Jonathan D. Todd ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Marine Bacteria ◽

Phylogenetic Diversity ◽

Dimethyl Sulfide ◽

Southern China ◽

Genotype Distribution ◽

Metagenomic Dna ◽

Culture Independent ◽

Mangrove Soils ◽

High Level ◽

Geographical Locations

The dddP gene encodes an enzyme that cleaves dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) into dimethyl sulfide (DMS) plus acrylate and has been identified in various marine bacteria and some fungi. The diversity of dddP genes was investigated by culture-independent PCR-based analysis of metagenomic DNA extracted from 4 mangrove soils in Southern China. A phylogenetic tree of 144 cloned dddP sequences comprised 7 groups, 3 of which also included dddP genes from previously identified Ddd+ (DMSP-dependent DMS production) bacteria. However, most (69%) of the DddP sequences from the mangroves were in 4 other subgroups that did not include sequences from known bacteria, demonstrating a high level of diversity of this gene in these environments. Each clade contained clones from all of the sample sites, suggesting that different dddP types are widespread in mangroves of different geographical locations. Furthermore, it was found the dddP genotype distribution was remarkably influenced by the soil properties pH, available sulfur, salt, and total nitrogen.

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