Biosynthesis of Guanitoxin Enables Global Environmental Detection in Freshwater Cyanobacteria.
Stella T Lima, Timothy R Fallon, Jennifer L Cordoza, Jonathan R Chekan, Endrews Delbaje, Austin R Hopiavuori, Danillo O Alvarenga, Steffaney M Wood, Hanna Luhavaya, Jackson T Baumgartner, Felipe A D��rr, Augusto Etchegaray, Ernani Pinto, Shaun M K McKinnie, Marli F Fiore, Bradley S Moore
Author Information
Stella T Lima: Center for Nuclear Energy in Agriculture, University of S��o Paulo, Piracicaba, Sao Paulo 13416-000, Brazil. ORCID
Timothy R Fallon: Center for Marine Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, United States.
Jennifer L Cordoza: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Santa Cruz, California 95064, United States.
Jonathan R Chekan: Center for Marine Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, United States. ORCID
Endrews Delbaje: Center for Nuclear Energy in Agriculture, University of S��o Paulo, Piracicaba, Sao Paulo 13416-000, Brazil. ORCID
Austin R Hopiavuori: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Santa Cruz, California 95064, United States.
Danillo O Alvarenga: Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, DK 2100, Denmark. ORCID
Steffaney M Wood: Center for Marine Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, United States.
Hanna Luhavaya: Center for Marine Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, United States. ORCID
Jackson T Baumgartner: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Santa Cruz, California 95064, United States.
Felipe A D��rr: School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of S��o Paulo, S��o Paulo, Ribeirao Preto, Sao Paulo 05508-000, Brazil.
Augusto Etchegaray: Center for Life Sciences, Graduate Program in Health Sciences, Pontifical Catholic University of Campinas (PUC-Campinas), Campinas, Sao Paulo 13087-571, Brazil. ORCID
Ernani Pinto: Center for Nuclear Energy in Agriculture, University of S��o Paulo, Piracicaba, Sao Paulo 13416-000, Brazil. ORCID
Shaun M K McKinnie: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Santa Cruz, California 95064, United States. ORCID
Marli F Fiore: Center for Nuclear Energy in Agriculture, University of S��o Paulo, Piracicaba, Sao Paulo 13416-000, Brazil. ORCID
Bradley S Moore: Center for Marine Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, United States. ORCID
Harmful cyanobacterial blooms (cyanoHABs) cause recurrent toxic events in global watersheds. Although public health agencies monitor the causal toxins of most cyanoHABs and scientists in the field continue developing precise detection and prediction tools, the potent anticholinesterase neurotoxin, guanitoxin, is not presently environmentally monitored. This is largely due to its incompatibility with widely employed analytical methods and instability in the environment, despite guanitoxin being among the most lethal cyanotoxins. Here, we describe the guanitoxin biosynthesis gene cluster and its rigorously characterized nine-step metabolic pathway from l-arginine in the cyanobacterium ITEP-024. Through environmental sequencing data sets, guanitoxin () biosynthetic genes are repeatedly detected and expressed in municipal freshwater bodies that have undergone past toxic events. Knowledge of the genetic basis of guanitoxin biosynthesis now allows for environmental, biosynthetic gene monitoring to establish the global scope of this neurotoxic organophosphate.
References
Biochemistry. 2015 Dec 1;54(47):7029-40
[PMID: 26551990]
