Synthesis of methylphosphonic acid by marine microbes: a source for methane in the aerobic ocean

dc.contributor.authorMetcalf, William W.
dc.contributor.authorGriffin, Benjamin M.
dc.contributor.authorCicchillo, Robert M.
dc.contributor.authorGao, Jiangtao
dc.contributor.authorJanga, Sarath Chandra
dc.contributor.authorCooke, Heather A.
dc.contributor.authorCircello, Benjamin T.
dc.contributor.authorEvans, Bradley S.
dc.contributor.authorMartens-Habbena, Willm
dc.contributor.authorStahl, David A.
dc.contributor.authorvan der Donk, Wilfred A.
dc.date.accessioned2015-04-24T15:57:42Z
dc.date.available2015-04-24T15:57:42Z
dc.date.issued2012-04
dc.description.abstractRelative to the atmosphere, much of the aerobic ocean is supersaturated with methane; however, the source of this important greenhouse gas remains enigmatic. Catabolism of methylphosphonic acid by phosphorus-starved marine microbes, with concomitant release of methane, has been suggested to explain this phenomenon, yet methylphosphonate is not a known natural product, nor has it been detected in natural systems. Further, its synthesis from known natural products would require unknown biochemistry. Here we show that the marine archaeon Nitrosopumilus maritimus encodes a pathway for methylphosphonate biosynthesis and that it produces cell-associated methylphosphonate esters. The abundance of a key gene in this pathway in metagenomic data sets suggests that methylphosphonate biosynthesis is relatively common in marine microbes, providing a plausible explanation for the methane paradox.en_US
dc.identifier.citationMetcalf, W. W., Griffin, B. M., Cicchillo, R. M., Gao, J., Janga, S. C., Cooke, H. A., ... & van der Donk, W. A. (2012). Synthesis of methylphosphonic acid by marine microbes: a source for methane in the aerobic ocean. Science, 337(6098), 1104-1107. http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.1219875en_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/1805/6252
dc.language.isoen_USen_US
dc.subjectmarine microbesen_US
dc.subjectmethaneen_US
dc.subjectaerobic oceanen_US
dc.titleSynthesis of methylphosphonic acid by marine microbes: a source for methane in the aerobic oceanen_US
dc.typeArticleen_US
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