Biosynthesis of microcystin hepatotoxins in the cyanobacterial genus Fischerella

Author(s)

Heck, Karina ^[1] ; Alvarenga, Danillo O. ^{[2, 1]} ; Shishido, Tania K. ^[3] ; Varani, Alessandro M. ^[2] ; Dorr, Felipe A. ^[4] ; Pinto, Ernani ^[4] ; Rouhiainen, Leo ^[3] ; Jokela, Jouni ^[3] ; Sivonen, Kaarina ^[3] ; Fiore, Marli F. ^[1]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Ctr Nucl Energy Agr, Av Centenario 303, BR-13400970 Piracicaba, SP - Brazil

^[2] Sao Paulo State Univ UNESP, Coll Agr & Vet Sci, Dept Technol, Jaboticabal, SP - Brazil

^[3] Univ Helsinki, Div Microbiol & Biotechnol, Dept Food & Environm Sci, Helsinki - Finland

^[4] Univ Sao Paulo, Sch Pharmaceut Sci, Sao Paulo, SP - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: Toxicon; v. 141, p. 43-50, JAN 2018.
• Web of Science Citations: 1

Abstract

Microcystins (MCs) are serine/threonine phosphatase inhibitors synthesized by several members of the phylum Cyanobacteria. Mining the draft genome sequence of the nostocalean MC-producing Fischerella sp. strain CENA161 led to the identification of three contigs containing mcy genes. Subsequent PCR and Sanger sequencing allowed the assembling of its complete biosynthetic mcy gene cluster with 55,016 bases in length. The cluster encoding ten genes (mcyA-J) with a central bidirectional promoter was organized in a similar manner as found in other genera of nostocalean cyanobacteria. However, the nucleotide sequence of the mcy gene cluster of Fischerella sp. CENA161 showed significant differences from all the other MC-producing cyanobacterial genera, sharing only 85.2 to 74.1% identities. Potential MC variants produced by Fischerella sp. CENA161 were predicted by the analysis of the adenylation domain binding pockets and further investigated by LC-MS/MS analysis. To our knowledge, this study presents the first complete mcy cluster characterization from a strain of the genus Fischerella, providing new insight into the distribution and evolution of MCs in the phylum Cyanobacteria. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 14/50420-9 - Secondary metabolites from aquatic microrganisms and their impact on seafood and freshwater fish aquaculture
• Grantee: Ernani Pinto Junior
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• FAPESP's process: 11/08092-6 - Genome sequencing of the cyanobacterium Nostoc sp. CENA67 and anotation of secondary metabolism genes
• Grantee: Danillo Oliveira de Alvarenga
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• FAPESP's process: 13/50425-8 - Biodiversity of cyanobacteria and their bioactive compounds from under-explored Brazilian habitats
• Grantee: Marli de Fátima Fiore
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants