Publications
2025
Liu, R., He, X., Ren, G., Li, D.-W., Zhao, M., Lehtovirta-Morley, L., Todd, J.D., Zhang, X.-H. and Liu, J. (2025). Niche Partitioning and Intraspecific Variation of Thaumarchaeota in Deep Ocean Sediments. Environ Microbiol , 27: e70018. https://doi.org/10.1111/1462-2920.70018
2024
Payet RD et al., (2024). Elucidation of Spartina dimethylsulfoniopropionate synthesis genes enables engineering of stress tolerant plants. Nat Commun. 15, 8568. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-51758-z
Li CY, Cao HY, Payet RD, Todd JD, Zhang YZ. (2024). Dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP): from biogeochemistry to global ecological significance. Annu Rev Microbiol. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-micro-041222-024055.
Zhang Y et al., (2024). An S-methyltransferase that produces the climate-active gas dimethylsulfide is widespread across diverse marine bacteria. Nat Microbiol. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41564-024-01788-6.
Saha M et al., (2024). Progress and future directions for seaweed holobiont research. New Phytol. https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.20018.
Wang J et al., (2024). Alternative dimethylsulfoniopropionate biosynthesis enzymes in diverse and abundant microorganisms. Nat Microbiol. 9:1979-1992.
Liu J et al., (2024). A unique subseafloor microbiosphere in the Mariana Trench driven by episodic sedimentation. Mar Life Sci Technol. 6:168-181.
Zhou T, Wang J, Todd JD, Zhang XH, Zhang Y. (2024). Quorum sensing regulates the production of methanethiol in Vibrio harveyi. Microorganisms. 12:35.
2023
He XY et al., (2023). SAR92 clade bacteria are potentially important DMSP degraders and sources of climate-active gases in marine environments. mBIO. 4:e01467-23.
Carrión O et al., (2023). DMSOP-cleaving enzymes are diverse and widely distributed in marine microorganisms. Nat Microbiol. 8:2326-2337.
Li J, Todd JD, Yu Z. (2023). The production of dimethylsulfoniopropionate by bacteria with mmtN linked to non-ribosomal peptide synthase gene. Environ Technol. 16:1-9.
Zhu XY et al., (2023). Deep-sea Bacteroidetes from the Mariana Trench specialize in hemicellulose and pectin degradation typically associated with terrestrial systems. Microbiome. 11:175.
Li CY et al., (2023). Aerobic methylation of hydrogen sulfide to dimethylsulfide in diverse microorganisms and environments. ISME J. 17:1184-1193.
Li CY et al., (2023). Dimethylsulfoniopropionate and its catabolites are important chemical signals mediating marine microbial interactions. Trends Microbiol. 31:992-994.
Wang SY et al., (2023). A new dimethylsulfoniopropionate lyase of the cupin superfamily in marine bacteria. Environ Microbiol. 25:1238-1249.
Hopkins FE, Archer SD, Bell TG, Suntharanligam P, Todd JD. (2023). The biogeochemistry of marine dimethylsulfide. Nat Rev Earth Environ. 4:361-367.
Li CY et al., (2023). Ubiquitous occurrence of a dimethylsulfoniopropionate ABC transporter in abundant marine bacteria. ISME J. 17:579-587.
Stirrup R et al., (2023). Aminolipids elicit functional trade-offs between competitiveness and bacteriophage attachment in Ruegeria pomeroyi. ISME J. 17:315-325.
Gray E et al., (2023). Stabilisation of the RirA [4Fe–4S] cluster results in loss of iron-sensing function. Chem Sci. 14:9744-9758.
2022
Rix GD et al., (2022). Characterisation of a soil MINPP phytase with remarkable long-term stability and activity from Acinetobacter sp. PLoS One. 17:e0272015.
Liu J et al., (2022). Oceanospirillales containing the DMSP lyase DddD are key utilisers of carbon from DMSP in coastal seawater. Microbiome, 10:1-21.
Li CY et al., (2022). Mechanistic insights into the key marine dimethylsulfoniopropionate synthesis enzyme DsyB/DSYB. mLife. 1:114-130.
Peng M et al., (2022). Insights into methionine S-methylation in diverse organisms. Nat Commun. 13:2947.
Kuek FWI et al., (2022). DMSP production by coral-associated bacteria. Front Mar Sci. 9:869574.
2021
Wagstaff BA et al., (2021). Assessing the toxicity and mitigating the impact of harmful Prymnesium blooms in eutrophic waters of the Norfolk Broads. Env Sci Technol. 55:16538-16551.
Sun H et al., (2021). Spatiotemporal distribution of bacterial dimethylsulfoniopropionate producing and catabolic genes in the Changjiang Estuary. Environ Microbiol. 23:7073-7092.
Zhang Y et al., (2021). Dimethylsulfoniopropionate biosynthetic bacteria in the subseafloor sediments of the South China Sea. Front Microbiol. 12:731524.
Xue CX et al., (2021). DiTing: a pipeline to infer and compare biogeochemical pathways from metagenomic and metranscriptomic data. Front Microbiol. 12:698286.
Rix GD, Todd JD, Neal AL, Brearley CA. (2021). Improved sensitivity, accuracy and prediction provided by a high-performance liquid chromatography screen for the isolation of phytase-harbouring organisms from environmental samples. Microb Biotechnol. 14:1409-1421.
Li CY et al., (2021). A novel ATP-dependent dimethylsulfoniopropionate lyase in bacteria that releases dimethyl sulfide and acryloyl-CoA. eLife. 10:e64045.
Liu J et al., (2021). Bacterial dimethylsulfoniopropionate biosynthesis in the East China Sea. Microorganisms. 9:657.
2020
Zhong H et al., (2020). Novel insights into the Thaumarchaeota in the deepest oceans: their metabolism and potential adaptation mechanisms. Microbiome. 8:78.
Zheng Y et al., (2020). Bacteria are important dimethylsulfoniopropionate producers in marine aphotic and high-pressure environments. Nat Commun. 11:4658.
Xue CX et al., (2020). Insights into the vertical stratification of microbial ecological roles across the deepest seawater column on Earth. Microorganisms. 8:1309.
Sun H et al., (2020). DMSP-producing bacteria are more abundant in the surface microlayer than subsurface seawater of the East China Sea. Microb Ecol. 80:350-365.
Song D et al., (2020). Metagenomic insights into the cycling of dimethylsulfoniopropionate and related molecules in the Eastern China marginal seas. Front Microbiol. 11:157.
2019
Liu J et al., (2019). Proliferation of hydrocarbon-degrading microbes at the bottom of the Mariana Trench. Microbiome. 7:47.
Wilkening JV et al., (2019). The production and fate of volatile organosulfur compounds in sulfidic and ferruginous sediment. JGR Biogeosciences. 124:3390-3402.
Williams BT et al., (2019). Bacteria are important dimethylsulfoniopropionate producers in coastal sediments. Nat Microbiol. 4:1815-1825.
Williams BT & Todd JD (2019). A day in the life of marine sulfonates. Nat Microbiol. 4:1610-1611.
Zhang XH et al., (2019). Biogenic production of DMSP and its degradation to DMS – their roles in the global sulfur cycle. Sci China Life Sci. 62:1296-1319.
Pellicer Martinez MT et al., (2019). Mechanisms of iron- and O2-sensing by the [4Fe-4S] cluster of the global iron regulator RirA. eLife. 8:e47804.
Gallardo-Benavente C et al., (2019). Biosynthesis of CdS quantum dots mediated by volatile sulfur compounds released by Antarctic Pseudomonas fragi. Front Microbiol. 10:1866.
Carrión O et al., (2019). Methanethiol and dimethylsulfide cycling in Stiffkey saltmarsh. Front Microbiol. 10:1040.
Peng M et al., (2019). Structure-function analysis indicates that an active-site water molecule participates in dimethylsulfoniopropionate cleavage by DddK. Appl Environ Microbiol. 85:e03127-18.
Shao X et al., (2019). Mechanistic insight into 3-methylmercaptopropionate metabolism and kinetical regulation of demethylation pathway in marine dimethylsulfoniopropionate-catabolizing bacteria. Mol Microbiol. 111:1057-1073.
2018
Liu J et al., (2018). Novel insights into bacterial dimethylsulfoniopropionate catabolism in the East China Sea. Front Microbiol. 9:3206.
Howat AM et al., (2018). Comparative genomics and mutational analysis reveals a novel XoxF-utilizing methylotroph in the Roseobacter group isolated from the marine environments. Front Microbiol. 9:766.
Curson ARJ et al., (2018). DSYB catalyses the key step of dimethylsulfoniopropionate biosynthesis in many phytoplankton. Nat Microbiol. 4:430-439.
Eyice Ö et al., (2018). Bacterial SBP56 identified as a Cu-dependent methanethiol oxidase widely distributed in the biosphere. ISME J. 12:145-160
2017
Li CY et al., (2017). Mechanistic insight into dimethylsulfoniopropionate lyase DddY, a new member of the cupin superfamily. J Mol Biol. 429:3850-3862.
Carrión O et al., (2017). Methanethiol-dependent dimethylsulfide production in soil environments. ISME J. 11:2379-2390.
Wang P et al., (2017). Mechanistic insight intro acrylate metabolism and detoxification in marine dimethylsulfoniopropionate-catabolizing bacteria. Mol Microbiol. 105:674-688.
Schnicker NJ, De Silva SM, Todd JD, Dey M. (2017). Structural and biochemical insights into dimethylsulfoniopropionate cleavage by cofactor-bound DddK from the prolific marine bacterium Pelagibacter. Biochemistry. 56:2873-2885.
Curson ARJ et al., (2017). Dimethylsulfoniopropionate biosynthesis in marine bacteria and identification of the key gene in this process. Nat Microbiol. 2:17009.
Pellicer Martinez MT et al., (2017). Sensing iron availability via the fragile [4Fe–4S] cluster of the bacterial transcriptional repressor RirA. Chem Sci. 8:8451-8463.
2016
Sun J et al., (2016). The abundant marine bacterium Pelagibacter simultaneously catabolizes dimethylsulfoniopropionate to the gases dimethyl sulfide and methanethiol. Nat Microbiol. 1:16065.
Johnston AWB, Green RT, Todd JD. (2016). Enzymatic breakage of dimethylsulfoniopropionate -a signature molecule for life at sea. Curr Opin Chem Biol. 31:58-65.
2015
Brummett AE, Schnicker NJ, Crider A, Todd JD, Dey M. (2015). Biochemical, kinetic, and spectroscopic characterization of Ruegeria pomeroyi DddW -a mononuclear iron-dependent DMSP lyase. PLoS One. 10:e0127288.
Carrión O et al., (2015). A novel dimethylsulfide-producing pathway in bacteria is abundant in soil environments. Nat Commun. 6:6579.
2014
Curson ARJ et al., (2014). Screening of metagenomic and genomic libraries reveals three classes of bacterial enzymes that overcome the toxicity of acrylate. PLoS One. 9:e97660.
2013
Green RT, Todd JD, Johnston AWB. (2013). Manganese uptake in marine bacteria; the novel MntX transporter is widespread in Roseobacters, Vibrios, Alteromonadales and the SAR11 and SAR116 clades. ISME J. 7:581-591.
2012
Curson ARJ, Fowler EK, Dickens S, Johnston AWB, Todd JD. (2012). Multiple DMSP lyases in the γ-proteobacterium Oceanimonas doudoroffii. Biogeochemistry. 110:109–119.
Sun L, Curson ARJ, Todd JD, Johnston AWB. (2012). Diversity of DMSP transport in marine bacteria, revealed by genetic analyses. Biogeochemistry. 110:121-130.
Todd JD, Curson ARJ, Sullivan MJ, Kirkwood M, Johnston AWB. (2012). The Ruegeria pomeroyi acuI gene has a role in DMSP catabolism and resembles yhdH of E. coli and other bacteria in conferring resistance to acrylate. PLoS One. 7:e35947.
Peng M et al., (2012). Phylogenetic diversity of the dddP gene for dimethylsulfoniopropionate-dependent dimethyl sulfide synthesis in mangrove soils. Can J Microbiol. 58:523-530.
Todd JD, Kirkwood M, Newton-Payne S, Johnston AWB. (2012). DddW, a third DMSP lyase in a model Roseobacter marine bacterium, Ruegeria pomeroyi DSS-3. ISME J. 6:223-226.
Johnston AWB, Todd JD, Curson ARJ. (2012). Microbial origins and consequences of dimethyl sulfide. Microbe. 7:181-185.
2011
Curson ARJ, Todd JD, Sullivan MJ, Johnston AWB. (2011). Catabolism of dimethylsulfoniopropionate: microorganisms, enzymes and genes. Nat Rev Microbiol. 9:849-859.
Curson ARJ, Sullivan MJ, Todd JD, Johnston AWB. (2011). DddY, a periplasmic dimethylsulfoniopropionate lyase found in taxonomically diverse species of Proteobacteria. ISME J. 5:1191-1200.
White GF et al., (2011). Heme binding to the second, lower-affinity site of the global iron regulator Irr from Rhizobium leguminosarum promotes oligomerization. FEBS J. 278:2011-2021.
Todd JD et al., (2011). DddQ, a novel, cupin-containing, dimethylsulfoniopropionate lyase in marine roseobacters and in uncultured marine bacteria. Environ Microbiol. 13:427-438.
Sullivan MJ et al., (2011). Unusual regulation of a leaderless operon involved in the catabolism of dimethylsulfoniopropionate in Rhodobacter sphaeroides. PLoS One. 6:e15972.
2010
Kirkwood M, Le Brun NE, Todd JD, Johnston AWB. (2010). The dddP gene of Roseovarius nubinhibens encodes a novel lyase that cleaves dimethylsulfoniopropionate intro acrylate plus dimethyl sulfide. Microbiology. 156:1900-1906.
Singleton C et al., (2010). Heme-responsive DNA binding by the global iron regulator Irr from Rhizobium leguminosarum. J Biol Chem. 285:16023-16031.
Todd JD et al., (2010). Molecular dissection of bacterial acrylate catabolism -unexpected links with dimethylsulfoniopropionate catabolism and dimethyl sulfide production. Environ Microbiol. 12:327-343.
Kirkwood M, Todd JD, Rypien KL, Johnston AWB. (2010). The opportunistic coral pathogen Aspergillus sydowii contains dddP and makes dimethyl sulfide from dimethylsulfoniopropionate. ISME J. 4:147-150.
Curson ARJ, Sullivan MJ, Todd JD, Johnston AWB. (2010). Identification of genes for dimethyl sulfide production in bacteria in the gut of Atlantic Herring (Clupea harengus). ISME J. 4:144-146.
2009
Todd JD, Curson ARJ, Dupont DL, Nicholson P, Johnston AWB. (2009). The dddP gene, encoding a novel enzyme that converts dimethylsulfoniopropionate into dimethyl sulfide, is widespread in ocean metagenomes and marine bacteria and also occurs in some Ascomycete fungi. Environ Microbiol. 11:1376-1385.
2008
Johnston AWB et al., (2008). Molecular diversity of bacterial production of the climate-changing gas, dimethyl sulphide, a molecule that impinges on local and global symbioses. J Exp Bot. 59:1059-1067.
Curson ARJ, Rogers R, Todd JD, Brearley CA, Johnston AWB (2008). Molecular genetic analysis of a dimethylsulfoniopropionate lyase that liberates the climate-changing gas dimethylsulfide in several marine alpha-proteobacteria and Rhodobacter sphaeroides. Environ Microbiol. 10:757-767.
2007
Johnston AWB et al., (2007). Living without Fur: the subtlety and complexity of iron-responsive gene regulation in the symbiotic bacterium Rhizobium and other α-proteobacteria. Biometals. 20:501-511.
Todd JD et al., (2007). Structural and regulatory genes required to make the gas dimethyl sulfide in bacteria. Science. 315:666-669.
2006
Rodionov DA, Gelfand MS, Todd JD, Curson ARJ, Johnston AWB. (2006). Computational reconstruction of iron- and manganese-responsive transcriptional networks in α-proteobacteria. PLoS Comput Biol. 2:e163.
Todd JD, Sawers G, Rodionov DA, Johnston AWB. (2006). The Rhizobium leguminosarum regulator IrrA affects the transcription of a wide range of genes in response to Fe availability. Mol Genet Genomics. 275:564-577.
Young JPW et al., (2006). The genome of Rhizobium leguminosarum has recognizable core and accessory components. Genome Biol. 7:R34.
2005
Díaz-Mireles E et al., (2005). The manganese-responsive repressor Mur of Rhizobium leguminosarum is a member of the Fur-superfamily that recognizes an unusual operator sequence. Microbiology. 151:4071-4078.
Todd JD, Sawers G, Johnston AWB. (2005). Proteomics analysis reveals the wide-ranging effects of the novel, iron-responsive regulator RirA in Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. viciae. Mol Genet Genomics. 273:197-206.
2004
Yeoman KH, Curson ARJ, Todd JD, Sawers G, Johnston AWB. (2004). Evidence that the Rhizobium regulatory protein RirA binds to cis-acting iron-responsive operators (IROs) at promoters of some Fe-regulated genes. Microbiology. 150:4065-4074.
Díaz-Mireles E et al., (2004). The Fur-like protein Mur of Rhizobium leguminosarum is a Mn2+-responsive transcriptional regulator. Microbiology. 150:1447-1456.
2003
Wexler M et al., (2003). Fur is not the global regulator of iron uptake genes in Rhizobium leguminosarum. Microbiology. 149:1357-1365.
2002
Todd JD et al., (2002). RirA, an iron-responsive regulator in the symbiotic bacterium Rhizobium leguminosarum. Microbiology. 148:4059-4071.