A novel pathway producing dimethylsulphide in bacteria is widespread in soil environments

O. Carrión, A. R. J. Curson, D. Kumaresan, Y. Fu, A. S. Lang, E. Mercadé and J. D. Todd ()
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O. Carrión: Laboratori de Microbiologia, Facultat de Farmàcia, Universitat de Barcelona
A. R. J. Curson: School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia
D. Kumaresan: School of Earth and Environment, University of Western Australia
Y. Fu: Memorial University of Newfoundland
A. S. Lang: Memorial University of Newfoundland
E. Mercadé: Laboratori de Microbiologia, Facultat de Farmàcia, Universitat de Barcelona
J. D. Todd: School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia

Nature Communications, 2015, vol. 6, issue 1, 1-8

Abstract: Abstract The volatile compound dimethylsulphide (DMS) is important in climate regulation, the sulphur cycle and signalling to higher organisms. Microbial catabolism of the marine osmolyte dimethylsulphoniopropionate (DMSP) is thought to be the major biological process generating DMS. Here we report the discovery and characterization of the first gene for DMSP-independent DMS production in any bacterium. This gene, mddA, encodes a methyltransferase that methylates methanethiol and generates DMS. MddA functions in many taxonomically diverse bacteria including sediment-dwelling pseudomonads, nitrogen-fixing bradyrhizobia and cyanobacteria, and mycobacteria including the pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The mddA gene is present in metagenomes from varied environments, being particularly abundant in soil environments, where it is predicted to occur in up to 76% of bacteria. This novel pathway may significantly contribute to global DMS emissions, especially in terrestrial environments and could represent a shift from the notion that DMSP is the only significant precursor of DMS.

Date: 2015
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DOI: 10.1038/ncomms7579

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