Toxin production and transcriptomic response to nitrate concentrations in the toxic dinoflagellate Alexandrium tamarense.

The bloom-forming dinoflagellate Alexandrium tamarense is one of the most important producers of paralytic shellfish poisoning toxins. Annually recurrent blooms of this dinoflagellate species is associated with the incremental nitrogen influx, especially excessive nitrate input. However, limited studies have been conducted on the toxin production and underlying molecular regulation mechanisms of A. tamarense under various nitrate (N) conditions. Therefore, toxin production and transcriptomic responses of this species were investigated. The toxin profile of A. tamarense was consistently dominated by the C2-toxins, and the cellular toxicity increased with N concentrations peaking at 9.23 ± 0.03 fmol/cell in the 883 μM N-added group. Under lower N conditions, expressions of two STX-core genes, sxtA and sxtG, were significantly down-regulated, suggesting that N regulated sxt expression and triggered responses related to toxin biosynthesis. Results of this study provided valuable insights into the ecophysiology of A. tamarense, enhancing our understanding of the occurrence of toxification events in natural environments.

• Publication year

  2024

• Venue

  Marine Environmental Research

• Publication date

  2024-05-01

• Fields of study

  Biology, Medicine, Environmental Science

• Identifiers
  DOI 10.1016/j.marenvres.2024.106550PMID 38820827
• External record

  Open on Semantic Scholar

• Source metadata

  Semantic Scholar, PubMed

• No claims are published for this paper.

• No concepts are published for this paper.

• Effects of nitrate on the saxitoxins biosynthesis revealed by sxt genes in the toxic dinoflagellate Alexandrium pacificum (group IV).

  2023cited by this paper
• Systematic exploration of transcriptional responses of interspecies interaction between Karenia mikimotoi and Prorocentrum shikokuense.

  2023cited by this paper
• Variation in the growth and toxin production of Gymnodinium catenatum under different laboratory conditions

  2022cited by this paper
• Toxin production of dinoflagellate Gymnodinium catenatum isolated from the East China Sea.

  2022cited by this paper
• Physiological and transcriptomic responses to N-deficiency and ammonium: nitrate shift in Fugacium kawagutii (Symbiodiniaceae)

  2020cited by this paper
• Comparative transcriptomics of toxin synthesis genes between the non-toxin producing dinoflagellate Cochlodinium polykrikoides and toxigenic Alexandrium pacificum.

  2020cited by this paper
• Variation in biochemical composition during encystment of the planktonic dinoflagellate Akashiwo sanguinea in N-limited cultures

  2019cited by this paper
• Systems-level analysis of metabolic mechanism following nitrogen limitation in benthic dinoflagellate Prorocentrum lima

  2018cited by this paper
• Mitigating the Expansion of Harmful Algal Blooms Across the Freshwater-to-Marine Continuum.

  2018cited by this paper
• Whole Transcriptomic Analysis Provides Insights into Molecular Mechanisms for Toxin Biosynthesis in a Toxic Dinoflagellate Alexandrium catenella (ACHK-T)

  2017cited by this paper
• Physiological and transcriptional responses to inorganic nutrition in a tropical Pacific strain of Alexandrium minutum: Implications for the saxitoxin genes and toxin production.

  2016cited by this paper
• Toxin and Growth Responses of the Neurotoxic Dinoflagellate Vulcanodinium rugosum to Varying Temperature and Salinity

  2016cited by this paper
• Sexual resting cyst production by the dinoflagellate Akashiwo sanguinea: a potential mechanism contributing to the ubiquitous distribution of a harmful alga

  2015cited by this paper
• Metatranscriptome profiling reveals versatile N-nutrient utilization, CO2 limitation, oxidative stress, and active toxin production in an Alexandrium fundyense bloom

  2015cited by this paper
• Molecular phylogeny and PSP toxin profile of the Alexandrium tamarense species complex along the coast of China.

  2014cited by this paper
• A comparative analysis of Alexandrium catenella/tamarense blooms in Annaba Bay (Algeria) and Thau lagoon (France); phosphorus limitation as a trigger.

  2014cited by this paper
• Environmental conditions that influence toxin biosynthesis in cyanobacteria.

  2013cited by this paper
• Evolution and Distribution of Saxitoxin Biosynthesis in Dinoflagellates

  2013cited by this paper
• Temporal and spatial distribution of red tide outbreaks in the Yangtze River Estuary and adjacent waters, China.

  2013cited by this paper
• Evolutionary Acquisition and Loss of Saxitoxin Biosynthesis in Dinoflagellates: the Second “Core” Gene, sxtG

  2013cited by this paper
• Evolution of saxitoxin synthesis in cyanobacteria and dinoflagellates.

  2013cited by this paper
• Morphology, toxicity, and phylogeny of Alexandrium (Dinophyceae) species along the coast of China

  2013cited by this paper
• The globally distributed genus Alexandrium: multifaceted roles in marine ecosystems and impacts on human health.

  2012cited by this paper
• PSP toxin release from the cyanobacterium Raphidiopsis brookii D9 (Nostocales) can be induced by sodium and potassium ions.

  2012cited by this paper
• MEGA5: molecular evolutionary genetics analysis using maximum likelihood, evolutionary distance, and maximum parsimony methods.

  2011cited by this paper
• Reorganizing the protein space at the Universal Protein Resource (UniProt)

  2011cited by this paper
• Short-term effects of different nitrogen substrates on growth and toxin production of dinoflagellate Alexandrium catenella Balech (strain ACDH)

  2011cited by this paper
• Discovery of Nuclear-Encoded Genes for the Neurotoxin Saxitoxin in Dinoflagellates

  2011cited by this paper
• Growth and toxin production of tropical Alexandrium minutum Halim (Dinophyceae) under various nitrogen to phosphorus ratios

  2010cited by this paper
• Origin of Saxitoxin Biosynthetic Genes in Cyanobacteria

  2009cited by this paper
• Approaches to monitoring, control and management of harmful algal blooms (HABs).

  2009cited by this paper
• EVOLUTION AND FORMATION CAUSES OF ALEXANDRIUM TAMARENSE RED TIDE IN THE SEA AREA OF THE NANHUANGCHENG ISLAND

  2009cited by this paper
• Non-Traditional Vectors for Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning

  2008cited by this paper
• Responses of a coastal phytoplankton community to increased nutrient input from the Changjiang (Yangtze) River

  2008cited by this paper
• Biosynthetic Intermediate Analysis and Functional Homology Reveal a Saxitoxin Gene Cluster in Cyanobacteria

  2008cited by this paper
• Alexandrium catenella and Alexandrium minutum blooms in the Mediterranean Sea: Toward the identification of ecological niches

  2008cited by this paper
• Nitrogen:Phosphorus supply ratio may control the protein and total toxin of dinoflagellate Alexandrium tamarense.

  2006cited by this paper
• EFFECTS OF LIGHT AND TEMPERATURE ON GROWTH, NITRATE UPTAKE, AND TOXIN PRODUCTION OF TWO TROPICAL DINOFLAGELLATES: ALEXANDRIUM TAMIYAVANICHII AND ALEXANDRIUM MINUTUM (DINOPHYCEAE) 1

  2006cited by this paper
• The global, complex phenomena of harmful algal blooms

  2005cited by this paper
• Variability in toxicity of the dinoflagellate Alexandrium tamarense in response to different nitrogen sources and concentrations.

  2004cited by this paper
• NCBI Reference Sequence (RefSeq): a curated non-redundant sequence database of genomes, transcripts and proteins

  2004cited by this paper
• The COG database: an updated version includes eukaryotes

  2003cited by this paper
• Harmful algal blooms and eutrophication: Nutrient sources, composition, and consequences

  2002cited by this paper
• PURIFICATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF A SULFOTRANSFERASE SPECIFIC TO N‐21 OF SAXITOXIN AND GONYAUTOXIN 2+3 FROM THE TOXIC DINOFLAGELLATE GYMNODINIUM CATENATUM (DINOPHYCEAE)

  2001cited by this paper
• Five red tide species in genusProrocentrum including the description ofProrocentrum donghaiense Lu SP. nov. from the East China Sea

  2001cited by this paper
• KEGG: Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes

  2000cited by this paper
• Carbon to volume relationships for dinoflagellates, diatoms, and other protist plankton

  2000cited by this paper
• Bloom dynamics of toxic Alexandrium species in the northeastern U.S

  1997cited by this paper
• Vertical migration, nutrition and toxicity in the dinoflagellate Alexandrium tamarense

  1997cited by this paper
• Notes on Alexandrium population dynamics

  1997cited by this paper
• RESTRICTION FRAGMENT LENGTH POLYMORPHISM OF RIBOSOMAL DNA INTERNAL TRANSCRIBED SPACER AND 5.8S REGIONS IN JAPANESE ALEXANDRIUM SPECIES (DINOPHYCEAE) 1

  1994cited by this paper
• A review of harmful algal blooms and their apparent global increase

  1993cited by this paper
• Mendelian Inheritance of Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning Toxin in the Marine Dinoflagellate Alexandrium catenella.

  1992cited by this paper
• The role of dissolved organic nitrogen in phytoplankton nutrition, cell biology and ecology

  1991cited by this paper
• Dynamics and physiology of saxitoxin production by the dinoflagellatesAlexandrium spp.

  1990cited by this paper
• HALF‐SATURATION CONSTANTS FOR UPTAKE OF NITRATE AND AMMONIUM BY MARINE PHYTOPLANKTON1

  1969cited by this paper
• Studies of marine planktonic diatoms. I. Cyclotella nana Hustedt, and Detonula confervacea (cleve) Gran.

  1962cited by this paper

• Progress, challenges and future directions in marine organic-walled dinoflagellate cyst research: New insights from an international workshop.

  2025cites this paper
• Unravelling the toxicity mechanisms of polystyrene nanoplastics on physiological and transcriptomic responses of the marine dinoflagellate Alexandrium minutum.

  2025cites this paper
• Photosynthetic and hemolytic activity in Amphidinium carterae in response to light irradiance and light quality.

  2025cites this paper