Skip to main content
Applied and Environmental Microbiology logoLink to Applied and Environmental Microbiology
. 1995 Nov;61(11):3986–3991. doi: 10.1128/aem.61.11.3986-3991.1995

Comparative Physiology of Dimethyl Sulfide Production by Dimethylsulfoniopropionate Lyase in Pseudomonas doudoroffii and Alcaligenes sp. Strain M3A

M P de Souza, D C Yoch
PMCID: PMC1388598  PMID: 16535162

Abstract

Dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) lyase enzymatically cleaves DMSP, an algal metabolite, to produce acrylate, a proton, and dimethyl sulfide (DMS), the most abundant volatile sulfur compound emitted from oceans. The physiology of DMS production by DMSP lyase was studied in vivo in an Alcaligenes-like organism, strain M3A, a salt marsh bacterial isolate, and in a marine strain, Pseudomonas doudoroffii. Enzymes from both strains were induced at optimum rates by 1 mM DMSP and vigorous aeration. P. doudoroffii was very sensitive to continued aeration and lost activity rapidly; the enzyme was more stable when aeration ceased. In addition to DMSP, acrylate and several of its analogs acted as inducers of DMSP lyase in Alcaligenes sp. strain M3A but not in P. doudoroffii. Turnover of DMSP by P. doudoroffii was enhanced by 3.5% NaCl or seawater, whereas the Alcaligenes sp. strain M3A enzyme was not salt dependent and salt did not greatly affect its activity. The pH profile showed two peaks of DMSP lyase activity (6.5 and 8.8) for Alcaligenes sp. strain M3A and a single peak at pH 8 for P. doudoroffii. Enzyme activity in both organisms was inhibited by methyl-3-mercaptopropionate and homocysteine. Cyanide, azide and p-chloromercuribenzoate inhibited only the P. doudoroffii DMSP lyase. The apparent K(infm) values for DMSP for cell cultures of Alcaligenes sp. strain M3A and P. doudoroffii were ca. 2 mM and <20 (mu)M, respectively. The differences in the physiology of DMSP metabolism in these two bacterial isolates may enable them to exist in diverse ecological niches.

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (344.7 KB).

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. ANDERSON D. G., CANTONI G. L. Enzymatic cleavage of dimethylpropiothetin by Polysiphonia lanosa. J Biol Chem. 1956 Sep;222(1):171–177. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Baumann L., Baumann P., Mandel M., Allen R. D. Taxonomy of aerobic marine eubacteria. J Bacteriol. 1972 Apr;110(1):402–429. doi: 10.1128/jb.110.1.402-429.1972. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Chambers S. T., Kunin C. M., Miller D., Hamada A. Dimethylthetin can substitute for glycine betaine as an osmoprotectant molecule for Escherichia coli. J Bacteriol. 1987 Oct;169(10):4845–4847. doi: 10.1128/jb.169.10.4845-4847.1987. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Dacey J. W., Wakeham S. G. Oceanic dimethylsulfide: production during zooplankton grazing on phytoplankton. Science. 1986 Sep 19;233(4770):1314–1316. doi: 10.1126/science.233.4770.1314. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. GREENE R. C. Biosynthesis of dimethyl-beta-propiothetin. J Biol Chem. 1962 Jul;237:2251–2254. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Hanson A. D., Rivoal J., Paquet L., Gage D. A. Biosynthesis of 3-dimethylsulfoniopropionate in Wollastonia biflora (L.) DC. Evidence that S-methylmethionine is an intermediate. Plant Physiol. 1994 May;105(1):103–110. doi: 10.1104/pp.105.1.103. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Kadota H., Ishida Y. Production of volatile sulfur compounds by microorganisms. Annu Rev Microbiol. 1972;26:127–138. doi: 10.1146/annurev.mi.26.100172.001015. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Kiene R. P. Dimethyl sulfide production from dimethylsulfoniopropionate in coastal seawater samples and bacterial cultures. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1990 Nov;56(11):3292–3297. doi: 10.1128/aem.56.11.3292-3297.1990. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Kiene R. P., Taylor B. F. Demethylation of dimethylsulfoniopropionate and production of thiols in anoxic marine sediments. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1988 Sep;54(9):2208–2212. doi: 10.1128/aem.54.9.2208-2212.1988. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Kiene R. P., Visscher P. T. Production and fate of methylated sulfur compounds from methionine and dimethylsulfoniopropionate in anoxic salt marsh sediments. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1987 Oct;53(10):2426–2434. doi: 10.1128/aem.53.10.2426-2434.1987. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Nriagu J. O., Holdway D. A., Coker R. D. Biogenic sulfur and the acidity of rainfall in remote areas of Canada. Science. 1987 Sep 4;237(4819):1189–1192. doi: 10.1126/science.237.4819.1189. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Taylor B. F., Gilchrist D. C. New routes for aerobic biodegradation of dimethylsulfoniopropionate. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1991 Dec;57(12):3581–3584. doi: 10.1128/aem.57.12.3581-3584.1991. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. WAGNER C., STADTMAN E. R. Bacterial fermentation of dimethyl-beta-propiothetin. Arch Biochem Biophys. 1962 Aug;98:331–336. doi: 10.1016/0003-9861(62)90191-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. de Souza M. P., Yoch D. C. Purification and characterization of dimethylsulfoniopropionate lyase from an alcaligenes-like dimethyl sulfide-producing marine isolate. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1995 Jan;61(1):21–26. doi: 10.1128/aem.61.1.21-26.1995. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Applied and Environmental Microbiology are provided here courtesy of American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

RESOURCES