<b>Overlooked role of heterotrophic prokaryotes in sulfur oxidation makes the sediment of the Bohai Sea a sufficient sink of hydrogen sulfide</b>

Marine sediments are the active sites for the biogeochemical cycling of sulfur. Sulfate is used as a major terminal electron acceptor for anaerobic oxidation of organic compounds in marine sediments, and the produced sulfide is normally oxidized back to sulfate in upper sediments. However, it is unclear which microorganisms, metabolic pathways, and enzymes are mainly involved in the oxidation. We used metagenomics and metatranscriptomics to figure out how sulfide is oxidized in the Bohai Sea sediments.海洋沉积物是硫生物地球化学循环的关键活性位点。硫酸盐是海洋沉积物中有机化合物厌氧氧化的主要末端电子受体，所生成的硫化物通常会在表层沉积物中被重新氧化为硫酸盐。然而，目前尚不清楚该氧化过程主要由哪些微生物、代谢通路及酶类参与介导。本研究采用宏基因组学（metagenomics）与宏转录组学（metatranscriptomics）技术，解析渤海沉积物中硫化物的氧化机制。