Sulfur plays a pivotal role in interactions within the atmosphere, lithosphere, pedosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere, and the functioning of living organisms. In the Earth’s crust, mantle, and atmosphere, sulfur undergoes geochemical transformations due to natural and anthropogenic factors. In the biosphere, sulfur participates in the formation of amino acids, proteins, coenzymes and vitamins. Microorganisms in the biosphere are crucial for cycling sulfur compounds through oxidation, reduction and disproportionation reactions, facilitating their bioassimilation and energy generation. Microbial sulfur metabolism is abundant in both aerobic and anaerobic environments and is interconnected with biogeochemical cycles of important elements such as carbon, nitrogen and iron. Through metabolism, competition or cooperation, microorganisms metabolizing sulfur can drive the consumption of organic carbon, loss of fixed nitrogen and production of climate-active gases. Given the increasing significance of sulfur metabolism in environmental alteration and the intricate involvement of microorganisms in sulfur dynamics, a timely re-evaluation of the sulfur cycle is imperative. This Review explores our understanding of microbial sulfur metabolism, primarily focusing on the transformations of inorganic sulfur. We comprehensively overview the sulfur cycle in the face of rapidly changing ecosystems on Earth, highlighting the importance of microbially-mediated sulfur transformation reactions across different environments, ecosystems and microbiomes.

硫在大气、岩石圈、土壤圈、水圈和生物圈内的相互作用以及生物体的功能中起着关键作用。在地壳、地幔和大气中，由于自然和人为因素，硫会发生地球化学变化。在生物圈中，硫参与氨基酸、蛋白质、辅酶和维生素的形成。生物圈中的微生物对于通过氧化、还原和歧化反应循环硫化合物至关重要，可促进其生物同化和能量产生。微生物硫代谢在好氧和厌氧环境中都很丰富，并且与碳、氮和铁等重要元素的生物地球化学循环相互关联。通过新陈代谢、竞争或合作，代谢硫的微生物可以驱动有机碳的消耗、固定氮的损失和气候活性气体的产生。鉴于硫代谢在环境改变中的重要性日益增加，以及微生物在硫动力学中的错综复杂，及时重新评估硫循环势在必行。本文探讨了我们对微生物硫代谢的理解，主要关注无机硫的转化。面对地球上快速变化的生态系统，我们全面概述了硫循环，强调了微生物介导的硫转化反应在不同环境、生态系统和微生物组中的重要性。