Warwick HRI, University of Warwick, Wellesbourne, UK.
J Exp Bot. 2010;61(2):315-34. doi: 10.1093/jxb/erp355. Epub 2009 Dec 10.
Dimethylsulphide (DMS) plays a major role in the global sulphur cycle. It has important implications for atmospheric chemistry, climate regulation, and sulphur transport from the marine to the atmospheric and terrestrial environments. In addition, DMS acts as an info-chemical for a wide range of organisms ranging from micro-organisms to mammals. Micro-organisms that cycle DMS are widely distributed in a range of environments, for instance, oxic and anoxic marine, freshwater and terrestrial habitats. Despite the importance of DMS that has been unearthed by many studies since the early 1970s, the understanding of the biochemistry, genetics, and ecology of DMS-degrading micro-organisms is still limited. This review examines current knowledge on the microbial cycling of DMS and points out areas for future research that should shed more light on the role of organisms degrading DMS and related compounds in the biosphere.
二甲基硫（DMS）在全球硫循环中起着重要作用。它对大气化学、气候调节以及海洋向大气和陆地环境输送硫具有重要意义。此外，DMS 还作为一种信息化学物质，对从微生物到哺乳动物等广泛的生物产生影响。能够循环 DMS 的微生物广泛分布于各种环境中，例如有氧和缺氧的海洋、淡水和陆地生境。尽管自 20 世纪 70 年代初以来，许多研究已经揭示了 DMS 的重要性，但对于 DMS 降解微生物的生物化学、遗传学和生态学的理解仍然有限。本文综述了当前关于 DMS 微生物循环的知识，并指出了未来研究的方向，这些研究应该能更深入地了解降解 DMS 及相关化合物的生物体在生物圈中的作用。
