Journal
SCIENCE CHINA-EARTH SCIENCES
Volume 59, Issue 1, Pages 17-24Publisher
SCIENCE PRESS
DOI: 10.1007/s11430-015-5155-x
Keywords
Microbe; D-amino acid; Dissolved organic carbon; Marine carbon storage
Categories
Funding
- National Key Basic Research Program of China [2013CB955700]
- State Oceanic Administration of China (SOA) [GASI-03-01-02-05]
- National Natural Science Foundation of China [91428308]
- [CNOOC-KJ 125 FZDXM 00 ZJ 001-2014]
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In nature, there are two conformational types of amino acids: L- and D-isomers. The L-amino acids are the predominant form and are used mainly for protein synthesis, while the D-amino acids are few in quantity but more diverse in terms of their biological functions. D-amino acids are produced by many marine microbes, which are important players in carbon and energy cycles in the ocean. As the major constituent of the marine organic carbon pool, D-amino acids can persist in the water column for a long time before being further transformed by chemical or biological processes or transported through physical processes (such as absorption and aggregation). This article reviews the microbial synthesis of D-amino acids, their physiological function and metabolism in microbes, and the contribution of D-amino acids as a carbon source to the oceanic carbon reservoir.
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