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Application of metagenome analysis to characterize the molecular diversity and saxitoxin-producing potentials of a cyanobacterial community: a case study in the North Han River, Korea

Keonhee Kim,Youngdae Yoon,Woonyoung Hong,Jaebum Kim,Yun-Chul Cho,Soon-Jin Hwang

Published 2018 in Applied Biological Chemistry

ABSTRACT

A wide variety of cyanobacterial species that inhabit freshwater systems are known to produce diverse toxins and off-flavor compounds during the development of environmentally harmful blooms. However, cyanobacterial community development and toxin production potential have not been well studied. In this study, we examined the taxonomic diversity and saxitoxin production potential of cyanobacteria in the water and sediments of a large river, the North Han River in South Korea, by metagenome analysis using next-generation sequencing (NGS) and molecular biological approaches, respectively. NGS revealed that the entire cyanobacterial community in the study area consisted of 39 genera and 47 species. The most abundant genera were Microcystis, Anabaena, Cyanobium, and Synechococcus, which accounted for more than 90% of the entire community. The saxitoxin production potential of the cyanobacterial community was assessed by detecting the sxtA and sxtG genes related to saxitoxin production. Eleven sxtA and 24 sxtG genes were identified through molecular cloning and sequencing. Phylogenic analysis revealed that three sxtA genes that grouped in one phylogenic branch with Scytonema sp. were distinctly separated from the sxtA genes of Anabaena, Aphanizomenon, Lyngbya, and Cylindrospermopsis. Sixteen of the detected sxtG genes were phylogenically similar to those of Anabaena circinalis (Dolichospermum circinale), Aphanizomenon gracile, and Aphanizomenon flos-aquae. Our study demonstrates the utility of the metagenomics approach for characterizing the natural community structure of cyanobacteria containing diverse and even rare species, and the evaluation of saxitoxin-producing potential in the cyanobacterial community.

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