Identification of a functional DddX-like enzyme that catalyzes dimethylsulfoniopropionate cleavage in marine bacteria
Shu-Yan Wang, Fei Xu, Meng Meng, Zeng-Tian Gu, Min Zhang, Yu-Zhong Zhang, Nan Zhang, Chun-Yang Li · 2026
Read Identification of a functional DddX-like enzyme that catalyzes dimethylsulfoniopropionate cleavage in marine bacteria by Shu-Yan Wang, Fei Xu, Meng Meng, Zeng-Tian Gu, Min Zhang, Yu-Zhong Zhang, Nan Zhang, Chun-Yang Li (2026) in the Tower of Babel, a free online library of public-domain works preserved in clean, searchable text. No sign-up. The full text is served as a plain-text file at a predictable URL, where text is present: https://antarctic-labs.com/tower-of-babel/PMC13543886.txt.
Description
Wang and co-authors characterise a new marine enzyme that helps run the ocean's sulfur cycle. Their 2026 paper identifies a DddX-like enzyme from bacteria of the Roseobacter group. The enzyme splits dimethylsulfoniopropionate, a compound algae make in bulk, releasing dimethyl sulfide, a gas that influences cloud formation and climate, plus a second product called acryloyl-CoA.
The new enzyme does the same chemistry as the known DddX. Yet it shares only about 23 percent of its protein sequence with it. It forms its own distinct branch on the family tree. Surveys of marine genetic data found both the classic and the new gene, and their active transcripts, abundant across ocean environments. That abundance suggests this overlooked enzyme family carries a meaningful share of a globally significant breakdown step, the authors argue, widening the known cast of the marine sulfur cycle.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Shu-Yan Wang, Fei Xu, Meng Meng, Zeng-Tian Gu, Min Zhang, Yu-Zhong Zhang, Nan Zhang, Chun-Yang Li |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2026 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 29 KB |
| LICENSE | https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |