Premium
First report of the potentially toxic marine diatom Pseudo‐nitzschia simulans (Bacillariophyceae) from the East Australian Current
Author(s) -
Ajani Penelope A.,
Lim Hong Chang,
Verma Arjun,
Lassudrie Malwenn,
McBean Katie,
Doblin Martina A.,
Murray Shauna A.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
phycological research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.438
H-Index - 44
eISSN - 1440-1835
pISSN - 1322-0829
DOI - 10.1111/pre.12421
Subject(s) - biology , domoic acid , diatom , internal transcribed spacer , ribosomal dna , phylogenetic tree , ribosomal rna , gigantea , botany , zoology , genus , microbiology and biotechnology , biochemistry , gene , toxin
SUMMARY Certain species of the marine diatom genus Pseudo‐nitzschia are responsible for the production of the domoic acid (DA), a neurotoxin that can bioaccumulate in the food chain and cause amnesic shellfish poisoning (ASP) in animals and humans. This study extends our knowledge by reporting on the first observation of the potentially toxic species Pseudo‐nitzschia simulans from this region. One clonal strain of P. simulans was isolated from the East Australian Current and characterized using light and transmission electron microscopy, and phylogenetic analyses based on regions of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and the D1–D3 region of the large subunit (LSU) of the nuclear‐encoded ribosomal deoxyribonucleic acid (rDNA), as well as examined for DA production as measured by liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry. Although this strain was non‐toxic under the defined growth conditions, the results unambiguously confirmed that this isolate is the potentially toxic species P. simulans – the first report of this species from the Southern Hemisphere.