Academic literature on the topic 'Cyanobacterium Anabaena circinalis'

ABSTRACT Blooms of the cyanobacterium Anabaena circinalis are a major worldwide problem due to their production of a range of toxins, in particular the neurotoxins anatoxin-a and paralytic shellfish poisons (PSPs). Although there is a worldwide distribution of A. circinalis, there is a geographical segregation of neurotoxin production. American and European isolates of A. circinalisproduce only anatoxin-a, while Australian isolates exclusively produce PSPs. The reason for this geographical segregation of neurotoxin production by A. circinalis is unknown. The phylogenetic structure of A. circinalis was determined by analyzing 16S rRNA gene sequences. A. circinalis was found to form a monophyletic group of international distribution. However, the PSP- and non-PSP-producing A. circinalis formed two distinct 16S rRNA gene clusters. A molecular probe was designed, allowing the identification of A. circinalis from cultured and uncultured environmental samples. In addition, probes targeting the predominantly PSP-producing or non-PSP-producing clusters were designed for the characterization of A. circinalis isolates as potential PSP producers.

ABSTRACT Blooms of the freshwater cyanobacterium Anabaena circinalis are recognized as an important health risk worldwide due to the production of a range of toxins such as saxitoxin (STX) and its derivatives. In this study we used HIP1 octameric-palindrome repeated-sequence PCR to compare the genomic structure of phylogenetically similar Australian isolates of A. circinalis. STX-producing and nontoxic cyanobacterial strains showed different HIP1 (highly iterated octameric palindrome 1) DNA patterns, and characteristic interrepeat amplicons for each group were identified. Suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) was performed using HIP1 PCR-generated libraries to further identify toxic-strain-specific genes. An STX-producing strain and a nontoxic strain of A. circinalis were chosen as testers in two distinct experiments. The two categories of SSH putative tester-specific sequences were characterized by different families of encoded proteins that may be representative of the differences in metabolism between STX-producing and nontoxic A. circinalis strains. DNA-microarray hybridization and genomic screening revealed a toxic-strain-specific HIP1 fragment coding for a putative Na+-dependent transporter. Analysis of this gene demonstrated analogy to the mrpF gene of Bacillus subtilis, whose encoded protein is involved in Na+-specific pH homeostasis. The application of this gene as a molecular probe in laboratory and environmental screening for STX-producing A. circinalis strains was demonstrated. The possible role of this putative Na+-dependent transporter in the toxic cyanobacterial phenotype is also discussed, in light of recent physiological studies of STX-producing cyanobacteria.

ABSTRACT Although the cyanobacterium Anabaena circinalis occurs worldwide, Australian isolates are believed to exclusively possess the saxitoxin group neurotoxins (paralytic shellfish poisons). Identification of A. circinalis in a mixed population is complicated due to limited morphological differences betweenAnabaena species. Sequence analysis of the DNA-dependent RNA polymerase (rpoC1) gene from 24 Anabaenaisolates, including 12 designated A. circinalis, permitted a phylogenetic analysis to be performed. In addition, an A. circinalis-specific PCR was developed and tested successfully on environmental samples.

Saxitoxin (STX) and its analogues, the potent voltage-gated sodium channel blockers, are biosynthesized by freshwater cyanobacteria and marine dinoflagellates. We previously identified several biosynthetic intermediates in the extract of the cyanobacterium, Anabaena circinalis (TA04), that are primarily produced during the early and middle stages in the biosynthetic pathway to produce STX. These findings allowed us to propose a putative biosynthetic pathway responsible for STX production based on the structures of these intermediates. In the present study, we identified 12β-deoxygonyautoxin 3 (12β-deoxyGTX3), a novel STX analogue produced by A. circinalis (TA04), by comparing the retention time and MS/MS fragmentation pattern with those of synthetic standards using LC–MS. The presence of this compound in A. circinalis (TA04) is consistent with stereoselective enzymatic oxidations at C11 and C12, and 11-O-sulfation, during the late stage of STX biosynthesis, as proposed in previous studies.

The cyanobacterium Anabaena circinalis has the ability to co-produce geosmin and saxitoxins, compounds which can compromise the quality of drinking water. This study provides pertinent information in optimising water treatment practices for the removal of geosmin and saxitoxins. In particular, it demonstrates that pre-oxidation using potassium permanganate could be applied at the head of water treatment plants without releasing intracellular geosmin and saxitoxins from A. circinalis. Furthermore, powdered activated carbon (PAC) was shown to be an effective treatment barrier for the removal of extracellular (dissolved) geosmin and saxitoxins, with similar adsorption trends of both compounds. The relative removal of the saxitoxins compared with geosmin was determined to be 0.84±0.27, which implies that saxitoxin removal with PAC can be estimated to be approximately 60 to 100% of the removal of geosmin under equivalent conditions. Chlorine was shown to be effective for the oxidation of the saxitoxins with CT values of approximately 30 mg min l−1 required for greater than 90% destruction of the saxitoxins.

Saxitoxin-group neurotoxins (paralytic shellfish poisons) have been identified in a cultured strain of Anabaena circinalis and in natural bloom samples in which this species was the dominant organism collected from widely distributed sites in the Murray-Darling Basin of Australia. These toxins have hitherto been isolated almost exclusively from 'red tide' dinoflagellates and contaminated shellfish. Two 'aphantoxins', which appear to be identical to two of the paralytic shellfish poisons, have been identified in a cyanobacterium from a small number of sites in New Hampshire, USA. The conclusions are supported by electrophysiological studies and by high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) and fast atom bombardment-mass spectrometric (FAB-MS) analyses.

This research investigated the factors influencing the structure of the phytoplanktori community in Chaffey Dam, which is located in sub-tropical Australia. In particular, the research aimed to determine the influence of light at time scales ranging from seconds to seasons, on the growth and photophysiology of the cyanobacterium Anabaena circinalis. On a large scale, field monitoring programs between 1987 and 1997 indicated that the phytoplankton community of Chaffey Dam was dominated by colonial or relatively large phytoplankton that move either with the aid of flagella or can be positively buoyant. Diatoms contributed only a minor component, which may be the result of the reservoir being stratified for much of the year. Several of the dominant taxa bloomed in each of the seasons during the eleven year period, with some blooms lasting >9 months, indicating that environmental variability between seasons can be low. In contrast to other studies, A. circinalis was more likely to grow and bloom during the cooler months (March-October). A two-year intensive monitoring program (1995-1997) identified a seasonal progression that was similar in both years. Chlorophytes occurred in spring, Ceratium in mid summer, a relatively clear period in February, A. circinalis in March and cryptomonads in winter. On a smaller scale, short-term (2-3 day) in-situ and laboratory enclosure experiments found that the light and nutrient requirements of the dominant taxa varied. In comparison to most other phytoplankton, A. circinalis cells disappeared at very rapid rates when supplied irradiances <10 (umol photons m-2 s-1. Over several days of darkness, the filaments broke apart and the cell numbers declined. The experiments also showed that at certain times, field populations of A. circinalis were subject to high losses at all irradiances. Laboratory studies investigating the influence of inter- and intra-daily changes in light availability showed that the growth rate of A. circinalis was not affected by the frequency of daytime light:dark cycles, indicating that the rate of water mixing will not have major influence on its growth if the total daily light dose is maintained. It was also found that A. circinalis cultures did not accumulate large reserves of energy in the form of carbohydrate, other than that required for one night. This strategy may enable the colonies to have a high level of buoyancy each morning so that they float quickly to the surface waters and obtain sufficient light each day to minimise losses. However, this strategy limits the ability of A. circinalis to grow and maintain vital cell processes during extended periods of low irradiances and may be a factor causing them to be susceptible to cell breakdown. Weekly measurements of algal growth rates in Chaffey Dam identified two factors that may have acted singly or simultaneously to influence the development of A. circinalis blooms during 1996 and 1997. The blooms developed during a 4-6 week period when the mean irradiance in the surface mixed layer (SML) was sufficient to prevent high losses. Secondly, the blooms developed when soluble phosphorus in the epilimnion was relatively high but soluble nitrogen was low. This may have favoured A. circinalis, which has the potential to fix atmospheric nitrogen. The decline of A. circinalis blooms was correlated with a deepening of the SML and a reduction of the mean daytime irradiance within the SML. Their decline did not appear to be related to nutrient limitation or to changes in zooplankton concentrations. This research also developed a physiological technique for tracking daily changes in the mean daytime irradiance of A. circinalis and for estimating cell growth rate. This method is based on chlorophyll-a fluorescence quenching analysis of the state transition mechanism, which regulates light availability between the photosystems. The mean daytime irradiance of A. circinalis showed a strong relationship with the degree of non-photochemical quenching (qn), whereas the relative change to the maximum fluorescence showed a strong relationship with cell growth. It is anticipated that this method will provide a useful research tool for determining the relative importance of light and other factors on the net growth of A. circinalis and other cyanobacteria.

碩士
國立成功大學
環境工程學系
102
Impact of hydrogen peroxide on a geosmin-producing cyanobacterium Anabaena circinalis under light conditions is investigated. A UV and a high-pressure Hg lamps were used as the light sources. The experimental results revealed that the light source, light intensity, hydrogen peroxide dosage and hydroxyl radical concentration are important factors for cell lysis. Three Chick-Watson type models were used to reasonably describe the experimental data for the kinetics of cell rupture. Considering release of geosmin from ruptured cells, volatilization from the reactor, and degradation by hydroxyl radical in water, models were developed to predict the concentration change of geosmin in the system. The models successfully predicted the concentration change of geosmin in all the experiments using parameters measured independently. It may provide a simple and quantitative means to estimate the interaction of oxidants and cells and the control of released metabolites in drinking water treatment processes.