Identification of a membrane transporter for dimethylsulfoniopropionate uptake in marine eukaryotic phytoplankton
Abstract
Marine microalgae obtain essential sulfur through energetically costly, assimilatory reduction of sea-salt sulfate, so the ability for osmotrophic incorporation of reduced sulfur would confer them adaptability in energy-limiting conditions. Dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) is a common marine osmolyte whose pervasive occurrence in seawater makes it as good a candidate for supplying reduced sulfur to marine eukaryotes as it is to prokaryotes. Despite earlier recognition of DMSP uptake by some phytoplankters, the mechanism and its taxonomic and geographic distributions have remained unknown. Here we show that DMSP uptake occurs in taxonomically diverse eukaryotic phytoplankton harbouring PaDT (for picoalgal DMSP transporter), a gene within the betaine/choline/carnitine transporter (BCCT) family whose transcription was upregulated by DMSP additions. Confirmation that PaDT encodes a functional DMSP transporter was obtained by restoring DMSP uptake in a BCCT-deficient mutant of Escherichia coli complemented with picoalgal PaDT. Increase of picoalgal DMSP uptake and PaDT transcription under decreasing light supports exogenous DMSP incorporation as an energy-saving strategy. The global and taxonomic spread of PaDT expression in the surface ocean indicates that eukaryotic phytoplankton are not only the main DMSP source but also a ubiquitous sink, reinforcing their role in regulating marine sulfur emissions.
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BibTeX
@article{simo2026identification,
title = {{Identification of a membrane transporter for dimethylsulfoniopropionate uptake in marine eukaryotic phytoplankton}},
author = {Rafel Simó and Jean-François Mangot and Valerie Vergé and Jean-Claude Lozano and Violeta Saló and Clara Ruiz-González and Daffne López-Sandoval and Yaiza M Castillo and Ronald P Kiene and Stephen D Archer and François-Yves Bouget and José M González},
journal = {Nature Communications},
year = {2026},
month = aug,
doi = {10.1038/s41467-026-76338-1},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05796896v1},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Identification of a membrane transporter for dimethylsulfoniopropionate uptake in marine eukaryotic phytoplankton
AU - Rafel Simó
AU - Jean-François Mangot
AU - Valerie Vergé
AU - Jean-Claude Lozano
AU - Violeta Saló
AU - Clara Ruiz-González
AU - Daffne López-Sandoval
AU - Yaiza M Castillo
AU - Ronald P Kiene
AU - Stephen D Archer
AU - François-Yves Bouget
AU - José M González
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/08/08
JO - Nature Communications
DO - 10.1038/s41467-026-76338-1
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05796896v1
AB - Marine microalgae obtain essential sulfur through energetically costly, assimilatory reduction of sea-salt sulfate, so the ability for osmotrophic incorporation of reduced sulfur would confer them adaptability in energy-limiting conditions. Dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) is a common marine osmolyte whose pervasive occurrence in seawater makes it as good a candidate for supplying reduced sulfur to marine eukaryotes as it is to prokaryotes. Despite earlier recognition of DMSP uptake by some phytoplankters, the mechanism and its taxonomic and geographic distributions have remained unknown. Here we show that DMSP uptake occurs in taxonomically diverse eukaryotic phytoplankton harbouring PaDT (for picoalgal DMSP transporter), a gene within the betaine/choline/carnitine transporter (BCCT) family whose transcription was upregulated by DMSP additions. Confirmation that PaDT encodes a functional DMSP transporter was obtained by restoring DMSP uptake in a BCCT-deficient mutant of Escherichia coli complemented with picoalgal PaDT. Increase of picoalgal DMSP uptake and PaDT transcription under decreasing light supports exogenous DMSP incorporation as an energy-saving strategy. The global and taxonomic spread of PaDT expression in the surface ocean indicates that eukaryotic phytoplankton are not only the main DMSP source but also a ubiquitous sink, reinforcing their role in regulating marine sulfur emissions.
SN - 2041-1723
SN - 2041-1723
ER -