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Polyketide synthesis genes associated with toxin production in two species of Gambierdiscus (Dinophyceae).

BMC Genomics. 2015;16:410

Authors: Kohli GS, John U, Figueroa RI, Rhodes LL, Harwood DT, Groth M, Bolch CJ, Murray SA

Abstract
BACKGROUND: Marine microbial protists, in particular, dinoflagellates, produce polyketide toxins with ecosystem-wide and human health impacts. Species of Gambierdiscus produce the polyether ladder compounds ciguatoxins and maitotoxins, which can lead to ciguatera fish poisoning, a serious human illness associated with reef fish consumption. Genes associated with the biosynthesis of polyether ladder compounds are yet to be elucidated, however, stable isotope feeding studies of such compounds consistently support their polyketide origin indicating that polyketide synthases are involved in their biosynthesis.
RESULTS: Here, we report the toxicity, genome size, gene content and transcriptome of Gambierdiscus australes and G. belizeanus. G. australes produced maitotoxin-1 and maitotoxin-3, while G. belizeanus produced maitotoxin-3, for which cell extracts were toxic to mice by IP injection (LD50 = 3.8 mg kg(-1)). The gene catalogues comprised 83,353 and 84,870 unique contigs, with genome sizes of 32.5 ± 3.7 Gbp and 35 ± 0.88 Gbp, respectively, and are amongst the most comprehensive yet reported from a dinoflagellate. We found three hundred and six genes involved in polyketide biosynthesis, including one hundred and ninty-two ketoacyl synthase transcripts, which formed five unique phylogenetic clusters.
CONCLUSIONS: Two clusters were unique to these maitotoxin-producing dinoflagellate species, suggesting that they may be associated with maitotoxin biosynthesis. This work represents a significant step forward in our understanding of the genetic basis of polyketide production in dinoflagellates, in particular, species responsible for ciguatera fish poisoning.

PMID: 26016672 [PubMed – in process]

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Authors: Kim JI, Yoon HS, Yi G, Kim HS, Yih W, Shin W
Abstract
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Paralytic shellfish toxin content is related to genomic sxtA4 copy number in Alexandrium minutum strains.

Front Microbiol. 2015;6:404

Authors: Stüken A, Riobó P, Franco J, Jakobsen KS, Guillou L, Figueroa RI

Abstract
Dinoflagellates are microscopic aquatic eukaryotes with huge genomes and an unusual cell regulation. For example, most genes are present in numerous copies and all copies seem to be obligatorily transcribed. The consequence of the gene copy number (CPN) for final protein synthesis is, however, not clear. One such gene is sxtA, the starting gene of paralytic shellfish toxin (PST) synthesis. PSTs are small neurotoxic compounds that can accumulate in the food chain and cause serious poisoning incidences when ingested. They are produced by dinoflagellates of the genera Alexandrium, Gymnodium, and Pyrodinium. Here we investigated if the genomic CPN of sxtA4 is related to PST content in Alexandrium minutum cells. SxtA4 is the 4th domain of the sxtA gene and its presence is essential for PST synthesis in dinoflagellates. We used PST and genome size measurements as well as quantitative PCR to analyze sxtA4 CPN and toxin content in 15 A. minutum strains. Our results show a strong positive correlation between the sxtA4 CPN and the total amount of PST produced in actively growing A. minutum cells. This correlation was independent of the toxin profile produced, as long as the strain contained the genomic domains sxtA1 and sxtA4.

PMID: 25983733 [PubMed]

Dinoflagellate Gene Structure and Intron Splice Sites in a Genomic Tandem Array.
J Eukaryot Microbiol. 2015 May 12;
Authors: Mendez GS, Delwiche CF, Apt KE, Lippmeier JC
Abstract
Dinoflagellates are…