Enzymology of microbial dimethylsulfoniopropionate catabolism

Global cycles are influenced by a variety of sources. These cycles have a wide- ranging impact from crops to climate change. By emitting gasses, bacteria in the ocean have the ability to influence chemistry not only in the oceans, but also in the atmosphere and on the land. The release of gasses into the atmosphere has been shown to have a role in the earth’s ability to regulate the climate. Little is known as to what encourages and dictates the release of climatically active gasses from oceanic bacteria.

The work herein, examines and investigates the chemical properties that govern the breakdown of a chemical found in the ocean to a gas that is discharged into the atmosphere. The optimal amount and speed of this breakdown is modified by a particular set of conditions. Various sets of conditions are required for different enzymes and for each enzyme to carry out the reaction to produce the climatically active gas, a specific set of chemical necessities must be present. The uniqueness of necessities for each enzyme was explored and found that while some requirements are common, there are others that differentiate each enzyme from other similar enzymes. The knowledge of these chemical requirements has the potential to assist in a larger understanding of how the earth is able to regulate the climate through marine bacteria.