A mechanism for bacterial transformation of dimethylsulfide to dimethylsulfoxide : a missing link in the marine organic sulfur cycle

In marine surface waters, oxidation of dimethylsulfide (DMS), a major organic sulfur gas arising from degradation of the osmolyte imethylsulfoniopropionate, to dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) attenuates the flux of DMS into the atmosphere and therefore has important consequences for climate regulation and the deposition of sulfur to terrestrial ecosystems. The biological conversion of DMS to DMSO in seawater is considerable, with DMSO concentrations often exceeding those of DMS. We present evidence that ecologically important marine bacteria containing trimethylamine monooxygenase can oxidize DMS to DMSO when grown on methylated amines such as out by ecologically-relevant bacteria, explain how DMSO is produced in seawater and provide a mechanistic understanding for this important biogeochemical process