Toxin profile, pigment composition, and large subunit rDNA phylogenetic analysis of an Alexandrium minutum (Dinophyceae) strain isolated from the Fleet Lagoon, United Kingdom

Paralytic shellfish toxins, pigment composition, and large subunit (LSU) rDNA sequence were analyzed for a clonal culture of Alexandrium minutum Halim isolated in 2000 from the coastal Fleet Lagoon, Dorset, United Kingdom. The HPLC pigment analysis revealed the presence of chl a, peridinin, and diadinoxanthin as major pigments and chl c(1)+c(2) and c(3), diatoxanthin, and beta-carotene as minor components. The toxins responsible for paralytic shellfish poisoning were analyzed by HPLC with postcolumn derivatization and fluorescence detection. The paralytic shellfish poisoning toxin profile of the Fleet Lagoon strain of A. minutum in exponential growth phase was dominated by gonyautoxin-3 up to 54%, whereas gonyautoxin-2 made up 10% and saxitoxin (STX) 36%. The average toxicity of the culture was 3.8 pg STX Eq.cell(-1), and total toxin content varied from 5.6 fmol.cell(-1) on day 1 to a maximum of 16.8 fmol.cell(-1) during the early stationary phase. Sequence analysis of the LSU rDNA revealed the strain to be closely related to several European strains of A. minutum and one isolated from Australian waters, although most of these do not produce STX. The shallow Fleet Lagoon may provide a favorable environment for A. minutum to bloom, and the presence of highly potent saxitoxins in this strain indicates potential for future shellfish contamination.