DMSP — LLMpedia

DMSP
Name	Dimethylsulfoniopropionate
Othernames	DMSP
Casno	75-46-7
Formula	C5H10O2S
Molar mass	134.19 g·mol−1

Contents

DMSP Dimethylsulfoniopropionate is an organosulfur compound produced by many marine and terrestrial organisms; it functions as an osmolyte, antioxidant precursor, and infochemical. Major producers include marine Thalassiosira, Emiliania huxleyi, and Phaeocystis, while ecological interactions involve Emperor penguin, Antarctic krill, and Humpback whale food webs. Research on DMSP connects to fields represented by Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Royal Society, and global programs like Global Ocean Observing System.

Overview

DMSP is a zwitterionic sulfonium compound first characterized in algal extracts studied by researchers associated with University of California, San Diego, University of Cambridge, and University of Oxford. It accumulates in tissues of phytoplankton genera such as Alexandrium, Karenia brevis, and Gymnodinium and in macrophytes including Zostera marina and Fucus vesiculosus. Microbial cleavage of DMSP produces dimethyl sulfide (DMS), linking to atmospheric chemistry topics studied at National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and climate discussions involving Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

The molecular formula is C5H10O2S with a sulfonium center bonded to two methyl groups and a propionate moiety; structural analogues were compared in work at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and California Institute of Technology. DMSP exhibits high water solubility and zwitterionic behavior similar to osmolytes studied at Max Planck Society and thermodynamic properties reported in journals affiliated with American Chemical Society and Royal Society of Chemistry. Spectroscopic characterization has used methods developed at European Molecular Biology Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

Biosynthetic pathways in phytoplankton and plants involve transamination and methylation steps linked to enzymes related to those described at John Innes Centre and Monash University. Genes implicated in DMSP biosynthesis have been identified from isolates studied at University of British Columbia, University of California, Santa Barbara, and Australian National University. Microbial catabolism proceeds via two major routes: the demethylation pathway involving bacterial taxa such as Ruegeria pomeroyi and Pelagibacter ubique, and the cleavage pathway yielding DMS mediated by enzymes characterized by teams at Université Laval and University of Hawaii. Symbiotic interactions with animals investigated at Scripps Institution of Oceanography and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution influence DMSP turnover in marine ecosystems.

DMSP serves as an osmoprotectant in taxa including Emiliania huxleyi, Thalassiosira pseudonana, and Pseudonitzschia, and as an antioxidant precursor affecting oxidative stress responses studied at Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology. As a foraging cue, DMSP and its breakdown products influence behavior of predators such as Albatross and Atlantic cod and attract microbial assemblages similar to those surveyed by Census of Marine Life. Production and cleavage impact sulfur fluxes that connect to atmospheric processes investigated by National Aeronautics and Space Administration and European Space Agency and to climate feedback hypotheses evaluated by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change researchers. Eutrophication events linked to blooms of Phaeocystis globosa and Alexandrium tamarense can alter DMSP dynamics and have been monitored by programs at NOAA and European Marine Observation and Data Network.

DMSP and DMS are used as tracers and proxies in studies performed by Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory. Analytical standards and labeled compounds produced by suppliers working with Sigma-Aldrich have supported isotopic labeling experiments at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Argonne National Laboratory. Research into geoengineering and cloud albedo effects references DMSP–DMS cycling in discussions involving Royal Society, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and proposals historically debated at United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Biotechnological interest includes engineering of metabolic pathways in organisms researched at ETH Zurich and Harvard University.

Quantification employs gas chromatography techniques developed at National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and mass spectrometry instrumentation from Thermo Fisher Scientific and Agilent Technologies. Nuclear magnetic resonance studies use facilities at European Molecular Biology Laboratory and National High Magnetic Field Laboratory. In situ sensors and shipboard methods have been refined by teams at Scripps Institution of Oceanography and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution; remote sensing proxies correlated with satellite products from National Aeronautics and Space Administration and European Space Agency support basin-scale inference. Molecular assays for genes in DMSP pathways are informed by protocols from Broad Institute and Wellcome Sanger Institute.

Pure DMSP is handled following material safety standards similar to those promulgated by Occupational Safety and Health Administration and European Chemicals Agency; laboratory practices at National Institutes of Health and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guide exposure control. DMS, the volatile cleavage product, is monitored in occupational and environmental settings by regulators including Environmental Protection Agency and Health and Safety Executive. Assessments of ecological toxicity during algal blooms reference work by NOAA Fisheries and public health investigations coordinated with World Health Organization.

Category:Organosulfur compounds