This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Tillett, D.
Right arrow Articles by Neilan, B. A.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Tillett, D.
Right arrow Articles by Neilan, B. A.
Agricola
Right arrow Articles by Tillett, D.
Right arrow Articles by Neilan, B. A.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, June 2001, p. 2810-2818, Vol. 67, No. 6
0099-2240/01/$04.00+0   DOI: 10.1128/AEM.67.6.2810-2818.2001
Copyright © 2001, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

Detection of Toxigenicity by a Probe for the Microcystin Synthetase A Gene (mcyA) of the Cyanobacterial Genus Microcystis: Comparison of Toxicities with 16S rRNA and Phycocyanin Operon (Phycocyanin Intergenic Spacer) Phylogenies

Daniel Tillett,1 Dorothy L. Parker,2 and Brett A. Neilan1,*

School of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of New South Wales, Sydney 2052, Australia,1 and Marine Biology Research Division, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, The University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, California 920372

Received 16 November 2000/Accepted 21 March 2001

The relationship between toxigenicity and phylogeny within the cyanobacterial genus Microcystis is unclear. To investigate this issue, we have designed PCR primers for the N-methyltransferase (NMT) domain of the microcystin synthetase gene mcyA and have probed 37 Microcystis sp. cultures as well as several field samples. The NMT region was present in all 18 laboratory strains that gave positive reactions in the protein phosphatase inhibition assay for microcystin but was absent in 17 nontoxic strains. Two other nontoxic strains, one of which had previously been reported to produce microcystin, possessed the NMT region. Detection of NMT-specific DNA in field samples corresponded to periods of toxicity as assessed by protein phosphatase inhibition. The Microcystis strains formed a monophyletic cluster based on 16S rRNA gene sequences but comprised two groups with respect to phycocyanin intergenic spacer (PC-IGS) sequences. Toxic and nontoxic strains appeared to be erratically distributed within the PC-IGS and 16S rRNA trees. Sequence analysis of the NMT domain revealed two coherent groups. The genomic region immediately downstream of the mcyABC cluster in all 20 NMT-positive strains contained an open reading frame of unknown function (uma1) at a conserved distance from mcyC. All nontoxic strains also contained uma1, which is not cotranscribed with mcyABC. The consistent linkage of mcyC to uma1 suggests that mcyC has not been frequently transferred into nontoxic strains via any mechanism involving insertion at random chromosomal locations. These results are discussed with respect to various mechanisms that could explain the patchy distribution of toxigenicity among the various Microcystis clades.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: School of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of New South Wales, Sydney 2052, Australia. Phone: 61 2 9385 3235. Fax: 61 2 9385 1591. E-mail: b.neilan{at}unsw.edu.au.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, June 2001, p. 2810-2818, Vol. 67, No. 6
0099-2240/01/$04.00+0   DOI: 10.1128/AEM.67.6.2810-2818.2001
Copyright © 2001, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.


This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Tooming-Klunderud, A., Mikalsen, B., Kristensen, T., Jakobsen, K. S. (2008). The mosaic structure of the mcyABC operon in Microcystis. Microbiology 154: 1886-1899 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Briand, E., Gugger, M., Francois, J.-C., Bernard, C., Humbert, J.-F., Quiblier, C. (2008). Temporal Variations in the Dynamics of Potentially Microcystin-Producing Strains in a Bloom-Forming Planktothrix agardhii (Cyanobacterium) Population. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 74: 3839-3848 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Yoshida, T., Nagasaki, K., Takashima, Y., Shirai, Y., Tomaru, Y., Takao, Y., Sakamoto, S., Hiroishi, S., Ogata, H. (2008). Ma-LMM01 Infecting Toxic Microcystis aeruginosa Illuminates Diverse Cyanophage Genome Strategies. J. Bacteriol. 190: 1762-1772 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Tanabe, Y., Kasai, F., Watanabe, M. M. (2007). Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) reveals high genetic diversity and clonal population structure of the toxic cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa. Microbiology 153: 3695-3703 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Nakasugi, K., Alexova, R., Svenson, C. J., Neilan, B. A. (2007). Functional Analysis of PilT from the Toxic Cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa PCC 7806. J. Bacteriol. 189: 1689-1697 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Rantala, A., Rajaniemi-Wacklin, P., Lyra, C., Lepisto, L., Rintala, J., Mankiewicz-Boczek, J., Sivonen, K. (2006). Detection of Microcystin-Producing Cyanobacteria in Finnish Lakes with Genus-Specific Microcystin Synthetase Gene E (mcyE) PCR and Associations with Environmental Factors. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 72: 6101-6110 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Wilson, A. E., Sarnelle, O., Neilan, B. A., Salmon, T. P., Gehringer, M. M., Hay, M. E. (2005). Genetic Variation of the Bloom-Forming Cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa within and among Lakes: Implications for Harmful Algal Blooms. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 71: 6126-6133 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Rolland, A., Bird, D. F., Giani, A. (2005). Seasonal changes in composition of the cyanobacterial community and the occurrence of hepatotoxic blooms in the eastern townships, Quebec, Canada. J PLANKTON RES 27: 683-694 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Lyra, C., Laamanen, M., Lehtimaki, J. M., Surakka, A., Sivonen, K. (2005). Benthic cyanobacteria of the genus Nodularia are non-toxic, without gas vacuoles, able to glide and genetically more diverse than planktonic Nodularia. Int. J. Syst. Evol. Microbiol. 55: 555-568 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Moffitt, M. C., Neilan, B. A. (2004). Characterization of the Nodularin Synthetase Gene Cluster and Proposed Theory of the Evolution of Cyanobacterial Hepatotoxins. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 70: 6353-6362 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Oksanen, I., Jokela, J., Fewer, D. P., Wahlsten, M., Rikkinen, J., Sivonen, K. (2004). Discovery of Rare and Highly Toxic Microcystins from Lichen-Associated Cyanobacterium Nostoc sp. Strain IO-102-I. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 70: 5756-5763 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Janse, I., Kardinaal, W. E. A., Meima, M., Fastner, J., Visser, P. M., Zwart, G. (2004). Toxic and Nontoxic Microcystis Colonies in Natural Populations Can Be Differentiated on the Basis of rRNA Gene Internal Transcribed Spacer Diversity. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 70: 3979-3987 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Thacker, R. W., Paul, V. J. (2004). Morphological, Chemical, and Genetic Diversity of Tropical Marine Cyanobacteria Lyngbya spp. and Symploca spp. (Oscillatoriales). Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 70: 3305-3312 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Rantala, A., Fewer, D. P., Hisbergues, M., Rouhiainen, L., Vaitomaa, J., Borner, T., Sivonen, K. (2004). Phylogenetic evidence for the early evolution of microcystin synthesis. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 101: 568-573 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Vaitomaa, J., Rantala, A., Halinen, K., Rouhiainen, L., Tallberg, P., Mokelke, L., Sivonen, K. (2003). Quantitative Real-Time PCR for Determination of Microcystin Synthetase E Copy Numbers for Microcystis and Anabaena in Lakes. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 69: 7289-7297 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Mikalsen, B., Boison, G., Skulberg, O. M., Fastner, J., Davies, W., Gabrielsen, T. M., Rudi, K., Jakobsen, K. S. (2003). Natural Variation in the Microcystin Synthetase Operon mcyABC and Impact on Microcystin Production in Microcystis Strains. J. Bacteriol. 185: 2774-2785 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Baker, J. A., Entsch, B., Neilan, B. A., McKay, D. B. (2002). Monitoring Changing Toxigenicity of a Cyanobacterial Bloom by Molecular Methods. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 68: 6070-6076 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Dyble, J., Paerl, H. W., Neilan, B. A. (2002). Genetic Characterization of Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii (Cyanobacteria) Isolates from Diverse Geographic Origins Based on nifH and cpcBA-IGS Nucleotide Sequence Analysis. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 68: 2567-2571 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


Copyright © 2009 by the American Society for Microbiology.   For an alternate route to Journals.ASM.org, visit: http://intl-journals.asm.org | More Info»