二甲基巯基丙酸(DMSP)是一种广泛分布的代谢物，被海洋细菌转化成挥发性气体二甲基硫化物(DMS)，后者是大气中硫的一个主要来源，有助于云的形成，从而影响气候。
Jean-Baptiste Raina等人在本文中报告了DMSP由两种常见造礁珊瑚Acropora millepora 和 Acropora tenuis的形成。这一发现是个意外——人们以前认为，DMSP是完全由藻类（包括珊瑚中的共生藻类）和一些植物产生的。
DMSP的生物合成也许可帮助珊瑚虫耐受“热应激”条件。这一发现可能有助于了解DMSP的生成怎样响应全球变化对珊瑚及其共生体所产生的影响。（生物谷Bioon.com）
生物谷推荐的英文摘要
Nature doi:10.1038/nature12677
DMSP biosynthesis by an animal and its role in coral thermal stress response
Jean-Baptiste Raina，Dianne M. Tapiolas，Sylvain Forêt，Adrian Lutz，David Abrego，Janja Ceh，Franois O. Seneca，Peta L. Clode，David G. Bourne，Bette L. Willis & Cherie A. Motti
Globally， reef-building corals are the most prolific producers of dimethylsulphoniopropionate (DMSP)， a central molecule in the marine sulphur cycle and precursor of the climate-active gas dimethylsulphide3， 4. At present， DMSP production by corals is attributed entirely to their algal endosymbiont， Symbiodinium2. Combining chemical， genomic and molecular approaches， we show that coral juveniles produce DMSP in the absence of algal symbionts. DMSP levels increased up to 54% over time in newly settled coral juveniles lacking algal endosymbionts， and further increases， up to 76%， were recorded when juveniles were subjected to thermal stress. We uncovered coral orthologues of two algal genes recently identified in DMSP biosynthesis， strongly indicating that corals possess the enzymatic machinery necessary for DMSP production. Our results overturn the paradigm that photosynthetic organisms are the sole biological source of DMSP， and highlight the double jeopardy represented by worldwide declining coral cover， as the potential to alleviate thermal stress through coral-produced DMSP declines correspondingly.
