Analyzing sulfur cycle process in natural lakes based on the combination of sulfur-producing genes and fluorescence technology

Detecting sulfoxide in sediment and water is an essential channel in understanding redox processes and maintaining water quality. Therefore, the creation of quick and efficient sulfoxide detection techniques is crucial to comprehending the ecotoxicity of sulfoxides. However, sulfur oxides were mainly detected in a pure water system, which greatly limited their potential practical applications. Difficulties related to selecting a detection system are a common bottleneck for applications. Herein, a brand-new fluorescent probe called BZ-QL was designed. This probe emits different fluorescence intensities in the sediment and water samples from a natural lake (China's Dianchi Lake). For the first time, the detection of sulfoxide in natural lake was realized on the basis of the correlation of the gene abundance of sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) with fluorescence intensities. Results indicated a significant negative correlation between the fluorescence intensities of BZ-QL and the abundance of dsrA for the water samples ( R 2  = 0.35, P  < 0.01) and sediments ( R 2  = 0.16, P  < 0.05). The combination of fluorescence intensities and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) of SRB could provide unique techniques for detecting sulfur oxides in water samples. Compared with other sulfur dioxide fluorescent probes, the fluorescence detection method in this study introduces the parameter of gene abundance, and applies the probe technology to detect sulfur oxides in natural lakes. In the future, this simple and rapid detection technology could be converted into kits for promotion. In addition, other compounds could be detected by changing the recognition site of the probe.