title: Bacterial taxa that limit sulfur flux from the ocean.
abstract: Flux of dimethylsulfide (DMS) from ocean surface waters is the predominant natural source of sulfur to the atmosphere and influences climate by aerosol formation. Marine bacterioplankton regulate sulfur flux by converting the precursor dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) either to DMS or to sulfur compounds that are not climatically active. Through the discovery of a glycine cleavage T-family protein with DMSP methyltransferase activity, marine bacterioplankton in the Roseobacter and SAR11 taxa were identified as primary mediators of DMSP demethylation to methylmercaptopropionate. One-third of surface ocean bacteria harbor a DMSP demethylase homolog and thereby route a substantial fraction of global marine primary production away from DMS formation and into the marine microbial food web.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA.
authors.forename: Erinn C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Howard
authors.forename: James R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Henriksen
authors.forename: Alison
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Buchan
authors.forename: Chris R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Reisch
authors.forename: Helmut
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bürgmann
authors.forename: Rory
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Welsh
authors.forename: Wenying
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Ye
authors.forename: José M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: González
authors.forename: Kimberly
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mace
authors.forename: Samantha B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Joye
authors.forename: Ronald P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Kiene
authors.forename: William B
authors.initials: WB
authors.lastname: Whitman
authors.forename: Mary Ann
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Moran
mesh_terms: D001419:Bacteria / Q000145:classification / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D020387:Food Chain; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D016680:Genome, Bacterial; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009792:Oceans and Seas; D010088:Oxidoreductases / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D010802:Phylogeny; D010839:Phytoplankton / Q000378:metabolism; D010933:Plankton / Q000145:classification / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D011422:Propionates / Q000378:metabolism; D041902:Rhodobacteraceae / Q000145:classification / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D012623:Seawater / Q000382:microbiology; D013438:Sulfhydryl Compounds / Q000378:metabolism; D013440:Sulfides / Q000378:metabolism; D013452:Sulfonium Compounds / Q000378:metabolism*; D013457:Sulfur Compounds / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D011422:Propionates; D013438:Sulfhydryl Compounds; D013440:Sulfides; D013452:Sulfonium Compounds; D013457:Sulfur Compounds; C054812:3-mercapto-2-methylpropionic acid; C005231:methylmercaptan; C068078:dimethylpropiothetin; C514649:DMSP demethylase, Roseobacter; D010088:Oxidoreductases; C004784:dimethyl sulfide