Unlocking the Secret Chemistry of Organosulfur Biodegradation

Cosmopolitan marine bacteria facilitate a vast phytoplankton-derived sulfonate-based carbon flow through sulfoquinovosidases

X Ma, H Wang, C Dong, L Liu, X Qiu, X Chen, Q Chen, L Wang, Y Zhang, N Jiao, SJ Williams, K Tang

2026-12-01

Sulfoquinovose (SQ) and sulfoquinovosyl glycerol (SQGro) are derived from abundant membrane sulfolipids termed sulfoquinovosyl dia..

A chemical toolkit for sulfofucose metabolism: Scalable access to sulfofucose and sulfofucolytic intermediates

AWE Stewart, J Li, M Lee, JM White, SJ Williams

2026-10-01

Sulfosugars are organosulfur metabolites that contribute to global sulfur cycling, yet the metabolism of the rarer sulfofucose (SF..

A Bacterial Pathway for Homotaurine Catabolism via Sulfopropanoate

Luise Pallasdies, Helen Barber, Mihwa Lee, Laura Burchill, Ho NN Ho, Adam WE Stewart, Artur Nastasovici, Hanna Sanne-Wander, Dilushini T Rathnayake, Vinzenz Hofferek, Leila Jebeli, Taylor A McDaniels, Malcolm J McConville, Robert A Field, Sacha Pidot, Nichollas E Scott, Yi Jin, Spencer J Williams

2026-09-23

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title> <jats:p>Small aminoorganosulfonates are reservoirs of carbon, nitrogen, and su..

Chiral recognition of 2,3-dihydroxypropanesulfonate by bacterial transport proteins adapted to distinct ecological niches

H Barber, S Borusak, AWE Stewart, H Tahir, NE Scott, D Schleheck, M Lee, SJ Williams

2026-08-19

Bacterial catabolism of 2,3-dihydroxypropanesulfonate (DHPS) links algal production to marine degradation and connects sulfosugar ..

Flavonoid O-Methyltransferases in Eucalyptus—Biosynthesis of Alpinetin via a Methylated Chalcone Precursor

L Zhu, G Garcia-Gimenez, J Humphries, AWE Stewart, SJ Williams, JQD Goodger

2026-06-04

Methylated flavonoids are abundant phytochemicals in Eucalyptus and are of interest because methylation can alter flavonoid divers..

Metal-Dependent 2-Keto-3,6-dideoxy-6-sulfo-gluconate (KDSG) Aldolase: Decoding the Key C─C Bond Cleaving Step in Bacterial Sulfoglycolysis

A Kaur, RK Williams, S Yang, M Lee, NM Soler, ED Goddard-Borger, GJ Davies, M Sharma, SJ Williams

2026-05-27

Sulfoquinovose (SQ) is a major biogenic sulfonated sugar whose degradation fuels microbial sulfur and carbon cycling. In the sulfo..

Structural and mechanistic basis of sulfolytic C–S bond cleavage by an Fe(ii)/α-ketoglutarate-dependent sulfoquinovose dioxygenase

M Lee, HNN Ho, MJ Maher, GNL Jameson, SJ Williams

2026-04-29

Sulfoquinovose dioxygenase (SqoD) enables bacterial carbon assimilation from the abundant sulfosugar sulfoquinovose (SQ) by Fe(ii)..

Total Syntheses of Roseochelins A and B Using an Oxidative Decarboxylation Strategy

MJ Allas, L Burchill, AWE Stewart, M Courtney, JM White, SJ Williams

2026-04-03

Roseochelins A and B are produced by Phaeobacter inhibens and proposed to arise from algal sinapic acid through combined enzymatic..

Catalyzing Carbohydrate Cleavage: Glycosidases and Their Mechanisms

HS Overkleeft, GJ Davies, SJ Williams

2026-03-11

Glycoside hydrolases, “glycosidases”, catalyze carbohydrate catabolism, remodeling, and signaling by accelerating glycosidic-bond ..

Widespread marine and freshwater distributions of active sulfoquinovose-degrading bacteria

G Liu, X Qiu, R Cao, C Dong, Q Chen, S Liu, W Li, X Li, N Jiao, SJ Williams, Y Zhang, K Tang

2026-01-01

Sulfoquinovose (SQ), a sulfonated sugar produced on a gigaton scale each year, contributes to global sulfur cycling, yet the micro..

Bridging a Gap in Marine Sulfur Cycling: Discovery of ad-Cysteinolic Acid Degradation Pathway

L Burchill, AWE Stewart, L Pallasdies, M Lee, LSY Coe, L Zudich, L Jebeli, M Sharma, V Hofferek, MJ McConville, GJ Davies, NE Scott, BP Durham, SJ Williams

2025-12-31

d-Cysteinolic acid is a prominent sulfur-containing compound in marine and freshwater ecosystems, yet its metabolic fate has remai..

Tandem sulfofucolytic-sulfolactate sulfolyase pathway for catabolism of the rare sulfosugar sulfofucose

AWE Stewart, J Li, M Lee, JM Lewis, M Herisse, V Hofferek, MJ McConville, SJ Pidot, NE Scott, SJ Williams

2025-09-10

The rare sulfosugar sulfofucose (6-deoxy-6-sulfo-D-galactose) is catabolized by Paracoccus wurundjeri sp. nov. strain Merri via a ..

Total synthesis and algaecidal activity of questiomycins against harmful bloom forming dinoflagellates

S Yang, N Aryal, SNQB Azmi, Y Wang, L Burchill, LE Meke, BP Durham, SJ Williams

2025-07-24

We report the total synthesis of questiomycins A, C-E and analogues, and their algaecidal activity against three harmful bloom- an..

Arylsulfamates inhibit colonic Bacteroidota growth through a sulfatase-independent mechanism

CJ Crawford, CWE Tomlinson, C Gunawan, Z Chen, DP Byrne, C Darby, MLG Conti, T Larson, AS Luis, S Elli, EA Yates, DN Bolam, S Van Der Post, SJ Williams, A Cartmell

2025-07-15

Excessive degradation of the colonic mucin layer by Bacteroides within the human gut microbiota drives inflammatory bowel disease ..

Warfare under the waves: a review of bacteria-derived algaecidal natural products

S Yang, SJ Williams, M Courtney, L Burchill

2025-01-03

Covering: 1960s to 2024 Harmful algal blooms pose a major threat to aquatic ecosystems and can impact human health. The frequency ..

Structure, kinetics, and mechanism of Pseudomonas putida sulfoquinovose dehydrogenase, the first enzyme in the sulfoglycolytic Entner-Doudoroff pathway

L Burchill, M Sharma, NM Soler, ED Goddard-Borger, GJ Davies, SJ Williams

2025-01-01

The sulfosugar sulfoquinovose (SQ) is catabolized through the sulfoglycolytic Entner-Doudoroff pathway, beginning with the oxidati..

A Broad-Spectrum α-Glucosidase of Glycoside Hydrolase Family 13 from Marinovum sp., a Member of the Roseobacter Clade

J Li, JWY Mui, BM da Silva, DEV Pires, DB Ascher, N Madiedo Soler, ED Goddard-Borger, SJ Williams

2024-09-01

Glycoside hydrolases (GHs) are a diverse group of enzymes that catalyze the hydrolysis of glycosidic bonds. The Carbohydrate-Activ..

Detection of Sulfoquinovosidase Activity in Cell Lysates Using Activity-Based Probes

Z Li, IB Pickles, M Sharma, B Melling, L Pallasdies, JDC Codée, SJ Williams, HS Overkleeft, GJ Davies

2024-06-21

The sulfolipid sulfoquinovosyl diacylglycerol (SQDG), produced by plants, algae, and cyanobacteria, constitutes a major sulfur res..

Detection of Sulfoquinovosidase Activity in Cell Lysates Using Activity‐Based Probes

Zirui Li, Isabelle B Pickles, Mahima Sharma, Benjamin Melling, Luise Pallasdies, Jeroen DC Codée, Spencer J Williams, Herman S Overkleeft, Gideon J Davies

2024-06-21

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>The sulfolipid sulfoquinovosyl diacylglycerol (SQDG), produced by plants, algae, and cyan..

Capture-and-release of a sulfoquinovose-binding protein on sulfoquinovose-modified agarose

Thimali Arumapperuma, Alexander JD Snow, Mihwa Lee, Mahima Sharma, Yunyang Zhang, James P Lingford, Ethan D Goddard-Borger, Gideon J Davies, Spencer J Williams

2024-01-01

The solute-binding protein (SBP) components of periplasmic binding protein-dependent ATP-binding cassette (ABC)-type transporters ..

Structural and kinetic insights into the stereospecific oxidation of R-2,3-dihydroxypropanesulfonate by DHPS-3-dehydrogenase from Cupriavidus pinatubonensis

Laura Burchill, Arashdeep Kaur, Artur Nastasovici, Mihwa Lee, Spencer J Williams

2024-01-01

2,3-Dihydroxypropanesulfonate (DHPS) and sulfolactate (SL) are environmentally important organosulfur compounds that play key role..