DddW, a third DMSP lyase in a model Roseobacter marine bacterium, Ruegeria pomeroyi DSS-3

Jonathan D. Todd, Mark Kirkwood, Simone Newton-Payne, Andrew W. B. Johnston

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80 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Ruegeria pomeroyi DSS-3 is a model Roseobacter marine bacterium, particularly regarding its catabolism of dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP), an abundant anti-stress molecule made by marine phytoplankton. We found a novel gene, dddW, which encodes a DMSP lyase that cleaves DMSP into acrylate plus the environmentally important volatile dimethyl sulfide (DMS). Mutations in dddW reduced, but did not abolish DMS production. Transcription of dddW was greatly enhanced by pre-growth of cells with DMSP, via a LysR-type regulator. Close DddW homologs occur in only one other Roseobacter species, and there are no close homologs and only a few related sequences in metagenomes of marine bacteria. In addition to DddW, R. pomeroyi DSS-3 had been shown to have two other, different, DMSP lyases, DddP and DddQ, plus an enzyme that demethylates DMSP, emphasizing the importance of this substrate for this model bacterium.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)223-226
Number of pages4
JournalThe ISME Journal
Volume6
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jun 2012

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