Marine bacteria are cutting cooling gas emissions
Marine bacteria are reducing the amount of an important climate cooling gas given off from our seas and studies on enzymes from a model bacterium could help to understand this important process, say scientists today (Wednesday 5 April 2006) at the Society for General Microbiology鈥檚 158th Meeting at the University of Warwick, UK.
鈥淒imethyl sulphide contributes to the characteristic smell of the sea. But it is also an important negative greenhouse gas, since in the atmosphere it promotes cloud formation which in turn reduces the amount of sunlight and heat reaching the earth鈥檚 surface,鈥� says Dr Hendrik Sch盲fer of the University of Warwick. 鈥淲e therefore need to know more about how this gas is released by the oceans, and how much of a cooling effect this has on our climate鈥�.
鈥淚t has long been known that certain bacteria living in seawater can break down most of the dimethyl sulphide produced in the sea before it can be released into the air to have its cooling effect,鈥� says Dr Sch盲fer. 鈥淎lmost all of this gas is produced in the sea. If we can improve our knowledge of the biological pathways and enzymes used by bacteria to break down the gas in the sea, we will have a better understanding of the important role played by our oceans and the life forms they contain in climate regulation鈥�.
The scientists are currently studying which enzymes bacteria called Methylophaga use for dimethyl sulphide degradation. Complementing this work, the genome of one strain of Methylophaga will soon be sequenced to help identify the genes underpinning this process. The discovery of novel genes and enzymes will lead to a better understanding of bacterial dimethyl sulphide degradation, an activity that prevents the emission of potentially much larger quantities of the climate cooling gas.
鈥淲e may find new enzymes from our genetic work that could also have commercial potential in biotechnology, for instance in biofilters to reduce nuisance smells from industrial operations,鈥� says Dr Sch盲fer.
The Warwick team鈥檚 work, which is being prepared for journal publication, will be discussed for the first time in public amongst scientists at the Society for General Microbiology鈥檚 meeting.
Source: Society for General Microbiology
