Chemosynthetic Symbioses as Hidden Hubs of DMSP and Organosulfur Cycling in Marine Sediments

Chemosynthetic Symbioses as Hidden Hubs of DMSP and Organosulfur Cycling in Marine Sediments | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Chemosynthetic Symbioses as Hidden Hubs of DMSP and Organosulfur Cycling in Marine Sediments Eileen Kröber, Kristina Weinert, Anna Mankowski, Ibrahim Özsefil, and 6 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8287161/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Chemosynthetic symbioses between animals and bacteria are known to underpin productivity in the deep sea, yet the diversity of energy and carbon sources sustaining these associations in shallow-water environments remains poorly understood. Dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) is highly abundant in coastal habitats, where it is produced by seagrasses, phytoplankton, and heterotrophic bacteria, and occurs together with its breakdown product dimethyl sulfide (DMS) in shallow-water sediments. Here we show, supported by genomic and transcriptomic evidence, that DMSP and DMS cycling are integral to the energy and carbon metabolism of the gutless oligochaete Olavius algarvensis and its chemosynthetic symbionts. By assigning DMSP degradation pathways to individual members of the host’s microbial community, we reconstructed a network integrating demethylation and cleavage with energy conservation, methionine biosynthesis, and acetate assimilation into polyhydroxyalkanoates. We also identified a host-encoded methanethiol oxidase (MtoX) suggesting host participation in MeSH detoxification. Comparative metagenomic analyses of more than 60 gutless oligochaete species from globally distributed habitats showed that key DMSP- and DMS-processing genes (dddP, dmdA, tmm, dmsA) are widespread, indicating that organosulfur metabolism is a conserved feature of these symbioses. Our findings expand the recognized metabolic repertoire of shallow-water chemosynthetic symbioses and provide evidence that these associations directly contribute to marine DMSP and DMS cycling. Biological sciences/Microbiology/Microbial communities/Metagenomics Biological sciences/Microbiology/Biogeochemistry/Element cycles organosulfur cycling shallow-water chemosynthetic symbiosis dimethylsulfide (DMS) Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Supplementary Files SupplementaryTableS2.xlsx Supplementary Table S2 SupplementaryTableS1.xlsx Supplementary Table S1 SupplementaryResults.docx Supplementary Results SupplementaryFigures.pdf Supplementary Figures Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8287161","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":561246457,"identity":"c5538161-c3cc-44fa-9598-4b43d9f8a39b","order_by":0,"name":"Eileen 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