Microbial trimethylamine metabolism in marine environments
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Updated: Feb 3, 2026

Analyzing Gene Expression from Marine Microbial Communities using Environmental Transcriptomics
Published on: February 18, 2009
Jing Sun1,2, Michaela A Mausz3, Yin Chen3
1Division of Maricultural Organism Disease Control and Molecular Pathology, Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China.
Abstract:
Trimethylamine (TMA) is common in marine environments. Although the presence of this compound in the oceans has been known for a long time, unlike the mammalian gastrointestinal tract, where TMA metabolism by microorganisms has been studied intensely, many questions remain unanswered about the microbial metabolism of marine TMA. This minireview summarizes what is currently known about the sources and fate of TMA in marine environments and the different pathways and enzymes involved in TMA metabolism in marine bacteria. This review also raises several questions about microbial TMA metabolism in the marine environments and proposes potential directions for future studies.
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