Advances in sulfur-oxidizing bacterial taxa and their sulfur oxidation pathways

Abstract:

Sulfur, as an essential element for organisms, is involved in cell energy and substance metabolism, i.e. protein, vitamins, antibiotics. In nature, sulfur exists in multiple valence states, represented respectively by element sulfur, reduced inorganic sulfur compounds (RISC) and sulfate as well as sulfur-containing organics. Sulfur oxidation is of significance in the biogeochemical sulfur cycle, which refers to the oxidation process of element sulfur and RISC by various microorganisms. Among sulfur-oxidizing microorganisms, sulfur-oxidizing bacteria are highly diverse, and their genes, enzymes and pathways of sulfur oxidation are varied. In recent years, significant progresses have been gained in many aspects, but some important issues at different levels still need to be solved. In this paper, we summarized the progresses of sulfur-oxidizing bacterial taxa and their sulfur oxidation pathways.