Euglenophycin is produced in at least six species of euglenoid algae and six of seven strains of Euglena sanguinea

Paul V Zimba; I-Shuo Huang; Danielle Gutierrez; Woongghi Shin; Matthew S Bennett; Richard E Triemer

doi:10.1016/j.hal.2017.01.010

Euglenophycin is produced in at least six species of euglenoid algae and six of seven strains of Euglena sanguinea

Harmful Algae. 2017 Mar:63:79-84. doi: 10.1016/j.hal.2017.01.010. Epub 2017 Feb 10.

Authors

Paul V Zimba¹, I-Shuo Huang², Danielle Gutierrez³, Woongghi Shin⁴, Matthew S Bennett⁵, Richard E Triemer⁶

Affiliations

¹ Center for Coastal Studies, Texas A&M University Corpus Christi, 6300 Ocean Drive, Corpus Christi, TX 78412, USA. Electronic address: paul.zimba@tamucc.edu.
² Center for Coastal Studies, Texas A&M University Corpus Christi, 6300 Ocean Drive, Corpus Christi, TX 78412, USA.
³ Center for Coastal Studies, Texas A&M University Corpus Christi, 6300 Ocean Drive, Corpus Christi, TX 78412, USA; Mass Spectrometry Research Center, and Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University, 9160 Medical Research Building III, 465 21st Avenue South, Nashville, TN 37240-7916, USA. Electronic address: d.gutierrez@vanderbilt.edu.
⁴ Department of Biology, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 305-764, South Korea. Electronic address: shin@cnu.ac.kr.
⁵ Plant Biology, Michigan State University, 612 Wilson Rd., S-138 Plant Biology Laboratories, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA. Electronic address: benne124@msu.edu.
⁶ Plant Biology, Michigan State University, 612 Wilson Rd., S-138 Plant Biology Laboratories, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.

Abstract

Euglena sanguinea is known to produce the alkaloid toxin euglenophycin and is known to cause fish kills and inhibit mammalian tissue and microalgal culture growth. An analysis of over 30 species of euglenoids for accumulation of euglenophycin identified six additional species producing the toxin; and six of the seven E. sanguinea strains produced the toxin. A phylogenetic assessment of these species confirmed most taxa were in the Euglenaceae, whereas synthesis capability apparently has been lost in the Phacus, Eutreptiella, and Discoplastis branches.

Keywords: Algae; Euglena; Euglenophycin; Harmful algal bloom; Toxin.

Publication types

Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

Euglena / metabolism*
Harmful Algal Bloom / physiology
Marine Toxins / metabolism*
Phylogeny
Piperidines / metabolism*

Substances

Marine Toxins
Piperidines
euglenophycin

Grants and funding

R01 ES021968/ES/NIEHS NIH HHS/United States