Journal
FEMS MICROBIOLOGY LETTERS
Volume 266, Issue 1, Pages 49-53Publisher
OXFORD UNIV PRESS
DOI: 10.1111/j.1574-6968.2006.00496.x
Keywords
microcystin; Microcystis; peptide synthetase; population dynamics; real-time PCR; toxic cyanobacteria
Categories
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Temporal changes in hepatotoxin microcystin-producing and non-microcystin-producing Microcystis aeruginosa populations were examined in Lake Mikata, Japan. To monitor the densities of the total M. aeruginosa population and the potential microcystin-producing subpopulation, we used a quantitative real-time PCR assay targeting the phycocyanin intergenic spacer and the microcystin synthetase gene (mcyA), respectively. During the sampling period, the ratio of the mcyA subpopulation to the total M. aeruginosa varied considerably, from 0.5% to 35%. When surface nitrate concentrations increased, there was a rise in the relative abundance of the mcyA subpopulation. This was a positive correlation with the nitrate concentrations (r=0.53, P < 0.05, n=14); whereas temperature and ortho-phosphate had no significant correlation with the presence of mcyA. Our data suggest that high nitrate loading may be a significant factor promoting the growth of the microcystin subpopulations within M. aeruginosa communities in Lake Mikata.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available