Temporal variations in the dynamics of potentially microcystin-producing strains in a bloom-forming Planktothrix agardhii (Cyanobacterium) population.

ABSTRACT: The concentration of microcystins (MCs) produced during blooms depends on variations in both the proportion of strains containing the genes involved in MC production and the MC cell quota (the ratio between the MC concentration and the density of cells with the mcyA genotype) for toxic strains. In order to assess the dynamics of MC-producing and non-MC-producing strains and to identify the impact of environmental factors on the relative proportions of these two subpopulations, we performed a 2-year survey of a perennial bloom of Planktothrix agardhii (cyanobacteria). Applying quantitative real-time PCR to the mcyA and phycocyanin genes, we found that the proportion of cells with the mcyA genotype varied considerably over time (ranging from 30 to 80% of the population). The changes in the p

SUBMITTER: Briand E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2446561 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature