Osmotic stress does not trigger brevetoxin production in the dinoflagellate Karenia brevis.

ABSTRACT: With the global proliferation of toxic harmful algal bloom species, there is a need to identify the environmental and biological factors that regulate toxin production. One such species, Karenia brevis, forms nearly annual blooms that threaten coastal regions throughout the Gulf of Mexico. This dinoflagellate produces brevetoxins, which are potent neurotoxins that cause neurotoxic shellfish poisoning and respiratory illness in humans, as well as massive fish kills. A recent publication reported that a rapid decrease in salinity increased cellular toxin quotas in K. brevis and hypothesized that brevetoxins serve a role in osmoregulation. This finding implied that salinity shifts could significantly alter the toxic effects of blooms. We repeated the original experiments separately in three d

SUBMITTER: Sunda WG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3690845 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature