SxtA-based quantitative molecular assay to identify saxitoxin-producing harmful algal blooms in marine waters

Murray, SA; Wiese, M; Stüken, A; Brett, S; Kellmann, R; Hallegraeff, G; Neilan, BA

SxtA-based quantitative molecular assay to identify saxitoxin-producing harmful algal blooms in marine waters

Murray, SA

Wiese, M Stüken, A Brett, S Kellmann, R Hallegraeff, G Neilan, BA

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Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 2011, 77 (19), pp. 7050 - 7057
Issue Date:: 2011-10-01

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Murray, SA https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7096-1307	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Wiese, M	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Stüken, A	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Brett, S	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Kellmann, R	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Hallegraeff, G	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Neilan, BA	en_US
dc.date.issued	2011-10-01	en_US
dc.identifier.citation	Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 2011, 77 (19), pp. 7050 - 7057	en_US
dc.identifier.issn	0099-2240	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/28863
dc.description.abstract	The recent identification of genes involved in the production of the potent neurotoxin and keystone metabolite saxitoxin (STX) in marine eukaryotic phytoplankton has allowed us for the first time to develop molecular genetic methods to investigate the chemical ecology of harmful algal blooms in situ. We present a novel method for detecting and quantifying the potential for STX production in marine environmental samples. Our assay detects a domain of the gene sxtA that encodes a unique enzyme putatively involved in the sxt pathway in marine dinoflagellates, sxtA4. A product of the correct size was recovered from nine strains of four species of STX-producing Alexandrium and Gymnodinium catenatum and was not detected in the non-STX-producing Alexandrium species, other dinoflagellate cultures, or an environmental sample that did not contain known STX-producing species. However, sxtA4 was also detected in the non-STX-producing strain of Alexandrium tamarense, Tasmanian ribotype. We investigated the copy number of sxtA4 in three strains of Alexandrium catenella and found it to be relatively constant among strains. Using our novel method, we detected and quantified sxtA4 in three environmental blooms of Alexandrium catenella that led to STX uptake in oysters. We conclude that this method shows promise as an accurate, fast, and cost-effective means of quantifying the potential for STX production in marine samples and will be useful for biological oceanographic research and harmful algal bloom monitoring. © 2011, American Society for Microbiology.	en_US
dc.relation.ispartof	Applied and Environmental Microbiology	en_US
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1128/AEM.05308-11	en_US
dc.subject.classification	Microbiology	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Phytoplankton	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Dinoflagellida	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Saxitoxin	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Microbiological Techniques	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Seawater	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Gene Dosage	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Harmful Algal Bloom	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction	en_US
dc.title	SxtA-based quantitative molecular assay to identify saxitoxin-producing harmful algal blooms in marine waters	en_US
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	19	en_US
utslib.citation.volume	77	en_US
utslib.for	0605 Microbiology	en_US
dc.location.activity	SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA
pubs.embargo.period	Not known	en_US
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Science
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Strength - C3 - Climate Change Cluster
utslib.copyright.status	closed_access
pubs.issue	19	en_US
pubs.publication-status	Published	en_US
pubs.volume	77	en_US

Abstract:

The recent identification of genes involved in the production of the potent neurotoxin and keystone metabolite saxitoxin (STX) in marine eukaryotic phytoplankton has allowed us for the first time to develop molecular genetic methods to investigate the chemical ecology of harmful algal blooms in situ. We present a novel method for detecting and quantifying the potential for STX production in marine environmental samples. Our assay detects a domain of the gene sxtA that encodes a unique enzyme putatively involved in the sxt pathway in marine dinoflagellates, sxtA4. A product of the correct size was recovered from nine strains of four species of STX-producing Alexandrium and Gymnodinium catenatum and was not detected in the non-STX-producing Alexandrium species, other dinoflagellate cultures, or an environmental sample that did not contain known STX-producing species. However, sxtA4 was also detected in the non-STX-producing strain of Alexandrium tamarense, Tasmanian ribotype. We investigated the copy number of sxtA4 in three strains of Alexandrium catenella and found it to be relatively constant among strains. Using our novel method, we detected and quantified sxtA4 in three environmental blooms of Alexandrium catenella that led to STX uptake in oysters. We conclude that this method shows promise as an accurate, fast, and cost-effective means of quantifying the potential for STX production in marine samples and will be useful for biological oceanographic research and harmful algal bloom monitoring. © 2011, American Society for Microbiology.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/28863