Assessment of the influence of key abiotic factors on the alternative microcystin degradation pathway(s) (mlr-): A detailed comparison with the mlr route (mlr+)

Abstract

Cyanobacterial proliferation and toxin production in water bodies around the world have led to global concern about the control of these issues. Indigenous bacteria have been shown to degrade the cyanotoxin microcystin (MC) in natural environments. The mlr cluster has been widely used as a marker for microcystin biodegradation; however, recent studies have shown that alternative pathway(s) also contribute to the natural removal of MCs in the ecosystem. The main objective of this study is to provide initial insights concerning how key abiotic factors affect the rate of MC biodegradation via alternative pathway(s) and to provide a detailed comparison with the mlr⁺ pathway. Our results show that nutrient inputs and previous exposure to MCs trigger changes in the rate of MC degradation via alternative pathway(s), while temperature does not produce any significant change. Our results further indicate that the alternative pathway(s) may be less efficient at degrading MCs than the mlr⁺ pathway, suggesting the importance of microbial diversity in determining the half-life of MCs in the water column.

Keywords: Alternative pathway; Biodegradation; Cyanobacteria; Genotype; Microcystin; mlr genes.