Sequencing the Sea Sulphur Cycle

对海硫循环进行测序

基本信息

批准号：
NE/F001339/1
负责人：
Andrew Johnston
金额：
$ 6.02万
依托单位：
Scottish Association For Marine Science
依托单位国家：
英国
项目类别：
Research Grant
财政年份：
2008
资助国家：
英国
起止时间：
2008 至无数据
项目状态：
已结题

来源：
https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=NE%2FF001339%2F1
关键词：
Sequencing Sea Sulphur Cycle

项目摘要

Picture this. A molecule, quite a simple one, which charms the sea birds in distant seas, which makes tiny shrimps tumble in excitement at getting their lunch and, which causes the billowing clouds to form over the far-flung oceans. And, as if that were not enough, every time you stroll by the seaside, that tangy, evocative aroma is due not to the ozone your parents told you about, or the Calvin Klein 'Ocean' deodorant in 'Seinfeld' (listen to; http://podcast.sciam.com/daily/sa_d_podcast_070209.mp3), but to this marvellous little substance, a gas called DIMETHYL SULPHIDE. The rather unlikely starting point for this remarkable compound is another molecule, called dimethylsulphoniopropionate (DMSP for short) which is used by huge numbers of marine plankton and seaweeds as an anti-stress protectant. When these plants die, they release the DMSP and this is then latched onto by bacteria, which break it down, using part of it for their carbon and sulphur food requirements. Worldwide, this occurs at a prodigious scale, with more than 400 million tonnes of DMSP being shifted by bacterial action every year. One product of the breakdown process is the magical DMS, some of which is released into the air, causing, among other things, the characteristic smell of the seaside. Remarkably, some ocean seabirds, such as petrels and shearwaters, sense the DMS as a marker for food supplies and home in on it from miles away. And, on a different scale, tiny, but hugely abundant shrimp-like creatures called copepods can also use DMS to indicate nearby food supplies. More important, though, DMS is further modified in the atmosphere, to sulfate aerosols, which act as nucleating agents to form clouds over the oceans, in the same way (sort of) as one gets crystals to grow in a crystal garden by starting off with a 'seed'. This has major effects on global climate and was even used by that sage, James Lovelock, as a plank to underpin his 'Gaia Hypothesis'. Although the production and subsequent conversions of DMS are hugely important, in many ways, we know very little about how these processes occur, at least at molecular levels. However, recent work by the applicants has unravelled at least some of the steps by which DMS is made and by which it is then transformed into other sulphurous compounds. Very suprisingly, though, that work also showed that there are several different ways in which different species of marine bacteria can undertake these reactions. So, we now wish to know the entire genetic makeup of these intriguing, and important bacteria so that we can unravel just what lies behind their remarkable metabolic flexibility. By having the entire sequences of their genomes, we will have a great set of resources to help us, and others in the marine microbiology world, to understand far better what is going on, at a local and a global level in the formation and biochemical and environmental fate of the DMS gas.

想象这个。一个非常简单的分子，它吸引了海鸟在遥远的海洋中，这使小虾在吃午餐时兴奋不已，这会导致滚滚的云层在遥远的海洋上形成。 And, as if that were not enough, every time you stroll by the seaside, that tangy, evocative aroma is due not to the ozone your parents told you about, or the Calvin Klein 'Ocean' deodorant in 'Seinfeld' (listen to; http://podcast.sciam.com/daily/sa_d_podcast_070209.mp3), but to this marvellous little substance, a gas called二甲基硫化物。这种非凡的化合物的起点不太可能的起点是另一个分子，称为二甲基磺二二丙酸酯（简称DMSP），该分子被大量的海洋浮游生物和海藻用作抗压力保护剂。当这些植物死亡时，它们会释放出DMSP，然后将其锁定在细菌上，将其锁定在其碳和硫食品需求中。在全球范围内，这发生在巨大的范围内，每年通过细菌作用改变了超过4亿吨的DMSP。崩溃过程的一种产物是神奇的DM，其中一些被释放到空中，导致海边的特征性气味。值得注意的是，一些海洋鸟类，例如石油和剪力水管，将DMS视为食品供应的标记，并从英里外的地方欣赏家园。而且，在不同的规模上，称为Copepods的细小但大量的虾样生物也可以使用DMS来指示附近的食品供应。但是，更重要的是，DM在大气中进一步修改为硫酸盐气溶胶，硫酸盐气溶胶是成核剂在海洋上形成云的构成剂，就像一个人通过“种子”开始在晶体花园中生长在晶体花园中。这对全球气候具有重大影响，甚至被那个圣人詹姆斯·洛夫洛克（James Lovelock）用作木板，以支持他的“盖亚假设”。尽管DMS的生产和随后的转化非常重要，但在许多方面，我们对这些过程的发生却一无所知，至少在分子水平上。但是，申请人最近的工作至少揭示了制定DMS的一些步骤，然后将其转化为其他硫化化合物。但是，这项工作非常令人惊讶，也表明，不同种类的海洋细菌可以采取这些反应有几种不同的方式。因此，我们现在希望了解这些有趣和重要的细菌的整个遗传构成，以便我们可以揭开它们非凡的代谢灵活性背后的位置。通过拥有其基因组的整个序列，我们将拥有大量资源来帮助我们以及海洋微生物世界中的其他人，以更好地了解DMS气体的地层和生化和生化和环境命运的本地和全球层面。