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

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, September 2006, p. 6101-6110, Vol. 72, No. 9
0099-2240/06/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.01058-06
Copyright © 2006, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Detection of Microcystin-Producing Cyanobacteria in Finnish Lakes with Genus-Specific Microcystin Synthetase Gene E (mcyE) PCR and Associations with Environmental Factors

Anne Rantala,¹ Pirjo Rajaniemi-Wacklin,¹ Christina Lyra,¹ Liisa Lepistö,² Jukka Rintala,³ Joanna Mankiewicz-Boczek,⁴ and Kaarina Sivonen^1*

Department of Applied Chemistry and Microbiology, University of Finland, Helsinki, Finland,¹ Finnish Environment Institute, Helsinki, Finland,² Finnish Game and Fisheries Research Institute, Helsinki, Finland,³ International Center for Ecology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Lodz, Poland⁴

Received 8 May 2006/ Accepted 12 July 2006

We studied the frequency and composition of potential microcystin (MC) producers in 70 Finnish lakes with general and genus-specific microcystin synthetase gene E (mcyE) PCR. Potential MC-producing Microcystis, Planktothrixand Anabaena spp. existed in 70%, 63%, and 37% of the lake samples, respectively. Approximately two-thirds of the lake samples contained one or two potential MC producers, while all three genera existed in 24% of the samples. In oligotrophic lakes, the occurrence of only one MC producer was most common. The combination of Microcystis and Planktothrix was slightly more prevalent than others in mesotrophic lakes, and the cooccurrence of all three MC producers was most widespread in both eutrophic and hypertrophic lakes. The proportion of the three-producer lakes increased with the trophic status of the lakes. In correlation analysis, the presence of multiple MC-producing genera was associated with higher cyanobacterial and phytoplankton biomass, pH, chlorophyll a, total nitrogen, and MC concentrations. Total nitrogen, pH, and the surface area of the lake predicted the occurrence probability of mcyE genes, whereas total phosphorus alone accounted for MC concentrations in the samples by logistic and linear regression analyses. In conclusion, the results suggested that eutrophication increased the cooccurrence of potentially MC-producing cyanobacterial genera, raising the risk of toxic-bloom formation.

---

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Applied Chemistry and Microbiology, P.O. Box 56 (Viikinkaari 9), FIN-00014 Helsinki University, Finland. Phone: 358 9 19159270. Fax: 358 9 19159322. E-mail: kaarina.sivonen{at}helsinki.fi.

---

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, September 2006, p. 6101-6110, Vol. 72, No. 9
0099-2240/06/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/AEM.01058-06
Copyright © 2006, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• 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]  
• Hotto, A. M., Satchwell, M. F., Boyer, G. L. (2007). Molecular Characterization of Potential Microcystin-Producing Cyanobacteria in Lake Ontario Embayments and Nearshore Waters. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 73: 4570-4578 [Abstract] [Full Text]