Field studies on the environmental factors in controlling microcystin production in the subtropical shallow lakes of the Yangtze River

Cyanopeptides occurrence and diversity in a Brazilian tropical reservoir: Exploring relationships with water quality

Microcystins (MCs) are a class of toxic secondary metabolites produced by some cyanobacteria strains that endanger aquatic and terrestrial organisms in various freshwater systems. Although patterns in MC occurrence are being recognized, divergences in the global data still hamper our ability to predict the toxicity of cyanobacterial blooms. This study aimed (i) to determine the dynamics of MCs and other cyanopeptides in a tropical reservoir, (ii) to investigate the correlation between peptides and potential cyanotoxin producers (iii) identifying the possible abiotic factors that influence the peptides. We analyzed, monthly, eight MC variants (MC-RR, -LA, -LF, -LR, -LW, -YR, [D-Asp3]-RR and [D-Asp3]-LR) and other peptides in 47 water samples collected monthly, all season long, from two sampling sites in a tropical eutrophic freshwater reservoir, in southeastern Brazil. The cyanopeptides were assessed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The biomass of potential cyanobacterial producers and water quality variables were measured. MCs were detected in both sampling sites year-round; the total MC concentration varied from 0.21 to 4.04 μg L-1, and three MC variants were identified and quantified (MC-RR, [D-Asp3]-RR, -LR). Additionally, we identified 28 compounds belonging to three other cyanopeptide classes: aeruginosin, microginin, and cyanopeptolin. As potential MC producers, Microcystis spp. and Dolichospermum circinalis were dominant during the study, representing up to 75% of the total phytoplankton. Correlational and redundancy analysis suggested positive effects of dissolved oxygen, nitrate, and total phosphorus on MC and microginins concentration, while water temperature appeared to favor aeruginosins. A comparison between our results and historical data showed a reduction in total phosphorus and cyanobacteria, suggesting increased water quality in the reservoir. However, the current MC concentrations indicate a rise in cyanobacterial toxicity over the last eight years. Moreover, our study underscores the pressing need to explore cyanopeptides other than MCs in tropical aquatic systems.

Can correlational analyses help determine the drivers of microcystin occurrence in freshwater ecosystems? A meta-analysis of microcystin and associated water quality parameters

Microcystin (MC) is a toxic secondary metabolite produced by select cyanobacteria that threatens aquatic and terrestrial organisms over a diverse range of freshwater systems. To assess the relationship between environmental parameters and MC, researchers frequently utilize correlational analyses. This statistical methodology has proved useful when summarizing complex water quality monitoring datasets, but the correlations between select parameters and MC have been documented to vary widely across studies and systems. Such variation within the peer-reviewed literature leaves uncertainty for resource managers when developing a MC monitoring program. The objective of this research is to determine if correlational analyses between environmental parameters and MC are helpful to resource managers desiring to understand the drivers of MC. Environmental (i.e., physical, chemical, and biological) and MC correlation data were retrieved from an estimated 2,643 waterbodies (largely from the north temperate region) and synthesized using a Fisher's z meta-analysis. Common water quality parameters, such as chlorophyll, temperature, and pH, were positively correlated with MC, while transparency was negatively correlated. Interestingly, 12 of the 15 studied nitrogen parameters, including total nitrogen, were not significantly correlated with MC. In contrast, three of the four studied phosphorus parameters, including total phosphorus, were positively related to MC. Results from this synthesis quantitatively reinforces the usefulness of commonly measured environmental parameters to monitor for conditions related to MC occurrence; however, correlational analyses by themselves are often ineffective and considering what role a parameter plays in the ecology of cyanobacterial blooms in addition to MC production is vital.

Moderate acidification mitigates the toxic effects of phenanthrene on the mitten crab Eriocheir sinensis

Freshwater acidification and phenanthrene may result in complex adverse effects on aquatic animals. Juvenile Chinese mitten crabs (Eriocheir sinensis) were exposed to different pH levels (7.8, 6.5, and 5.5) under phenanthrene (PHE) (0 (control) and 50 μg/L) conditions for 14 days. Antioxidant and transcriptomic responses were determined under stress conditions to evaluate the physiological adaptation of crabs. Under the control pH 7.8, PHE led to significantly reduced activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione reductase (GR) and glutathione S-transferase (GST), but increased glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), 7-ethoxyresorufin-o-deethylase (EROD) activities, and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels. However, moderate acidification (pH 6.5) changed PHE effects by increasing antioxidant enzymes. Acidification generally reduced SOD, GPx, GST and EROD activities, but increased CAT, GR, MDA. Compared with pH7.8 group, pH7.8 × PHE and pH6.5 × PHE groups had 1148 and 1498 differentially expressed genes, respectively, with "Biological process" being the main category in the two experimental groups. pH7.8 × PHE treatment caused significant enrichment of disease and immune-related pathways, while under pH6.5 × PHE, more pathways related to metabolism, detoxification, environmental information processing, and energy supply were significantly enriched. Thus, PHE had a significant inhibitory effect on antioxidant performance in crabs, while moderate acidification (pH6.5) mitigated the toxic effects of PHE. Overall, moderate acidification has a positive effect on the defense against the negative effects of PHE in Chinese mitten crabs, and this study provides insights into the defense mechanism of crustaceans in response to combined stress of acidification and PHE.

Differences in Abnormal Water Metabolism between SD Rats and KM Mice Intoxicated by Microcystin-RR

The effects of microcystin-RR (MC-RR) on water metabolism were studied on Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats and KunMing (KM) mice. In the single dose toxicity test, polydipsia, polyuria, hematuria and proteinuria were found in group of rats receiving a MC-RR dose of 574.7 μg/kg, and could be relieved by dexamethasone (DXM). Gradient damage was observed in kidney and liver in rats with gradient MC-RR doses of 574.7, 287.3, and 143.7 μg/kg. No significant water metabolic changes or kidney injuries were observed in mice treated with MC-RR doses of 210.0, 105.0, and 52.5 μg/kg. In the continuous exposure test, in which mice were administrated with 140.0, 70.0, and 35.0 μg/kg MC-RR for 28 days, mice in the 140.0 μg/kg group presented increasing polydipsia, polyuria, and liver damage. However, no anatomic or histological changes, including related serological and urinary indices, were found in the kidney. In summary, abnormal water metabolism can be induced by MC-RR in rats through kidney injury in single dose exposure; the kidney of SD rats is more sensitive to MC-RR than that of KM mouse; and polydipsia and polyuria in mice exposed to MC-RR for 28 days occurred but could not be attributed to kidney damage.

Characteristics of growth and microcystin production of Microcystis aeruginosa exposed to low concentrations of naphthalene and phenanthrene under different pH values

Here, Microcystis aeruginosa (M. aeruginosa) was studied to analyze the effects of 0.5 mg L^-1 naphthalene and 0.05 mg L^-1 phenanthrene on profiles of cell growth, chlorophyll-a content and Microcystin-LR (MC-LR) production at different pH values. The results indicated that for both the naphthalene and phenanthrene treatments, the specific growth rates were higher in pH 10.0 than in either pH 7.0 or pH 5.0. In the presence of low concentrations of naphthalene or phenanthrene, chlorophyll-a in medium increased significantly more in pH 10.0 than pH 5.0. chlorophyll-a in cell was significantly lowered when exposed to naphthalene in both pH 10.0 and pH 7.0, and was higher when exposed to phenanthrene in pH 10.0 than pH 5.0. HPLC analysis revealed that the extracellular MC-LR concentrations in M. aeruginosa exposed to either naphthalene or phenanthrene were lower than in control M. aeruginosa at pH 5.0. The intracellular MC-LR levels in toxic M. aeruginosa cells exposed to naphthalene or phenanthrene were higher than in the controls at pH 10.0. Our study suggests that the MC-LR production of M. aeruginosa was affected by the pH value when low concentrations of either naphthalene or phenanthrene were present in the water. These results indicate that the pH value should not be ignored when evaluating the risk of chemicals that promote MC-LR production in eutrophic waters.

Effects of Wind Mixing in a Stratified Water Column on Toxic Cyanobacteria and Microcystin-LR Distribution in a Subtropical Reservoir

We analyzed the effects of stratification changes due to wind on the vertical cyanobacteria distribution and microcystin-LR concentrations in a reservoir and assessed the implications for water management. Under stratified conditions, the highest microcystin concentrations (up to 4.16 µg/L) and toxic cyanobacteria biovolume occurred in the epilimnion (~ 1 m). The lowest microcystin concentrations were between 0.02 and 1.28 µg/L and occurred in the hypolimnion (~ 20 m). A cold front passage associated with high wind velocities induced water column mixing, promoting the redistribution of microcystin-LR and cyanobacteria throughout the water column and increasing their concentrations in deeper zones. Microcystin-LR concentration was positively correlated with cyanobacteria biovolume (r = 0.747) and chlorophyll a concentration (r = 0.798). Changes in thermal profile due to wind would imply a greater challenge for drinking water treatment plants, since high cyanobacterial and microcystin concentrations could reach deep-water intakes.

Dynamics of Total Microcystin LR Concentration in Three Subtropical Hydroelectric Generation Reservoirs in Uruguay, South America

This study analyzed the temporal dynamics of total microcystin LR concentrations between the years of 2012 and 2015 in the Bonete, Baygorria and Palmar hydroelectric generation reservoirs in the central region of the Negro River, Uruguay. The three reservoirs showed differents total microcystin LR concentration, with no significant differences among them. Over 20 sampling dates, the three reservoirs exhibited total microcystin LR concentrations on eight occasions that corresponded to a slight to moderate human health risk according to WHO guideline values for recreational waters. By determining the concentration of microcystin LR in cyanobacterial biomass, we identified cyanobacterial populations that occurred over time with varying degrees of toxin production (maximal 85.4 µg/mm³). The microcystin LR concentration in Bonete was positively correlated with temperature (r = 0.587) and cyanobacterial biomass (r = 0.736), in Baygorria with cyanobacterial biomass (r = 0.521), and in Palmar with temperature (r = 0.500) and negatively correlated with ammonia (r = -0.492). Action is needed to reduce the presence of toxic cyanobacteria in these systems. A decrease in the use of agrochemicals and management changes in the reservoir basins could be successful long-term measures.

Environmental Microcystin Exposure Increases Liver Injury Risk Induced by Hepatitis B Virus Combined with Aflatoxin: A Cross-Sectional Study in Southwest China

Three liver hazards, two confirmed-hepatitis B virus (HBV) and aflatoxin (AFB), and one rarely studied in populations-microcystin (MC), simultaneously exist in tropical and humid areas; however, there are no epidemiological data on their risks in the same population. We conducted a community-based cross-sectional survey among 5493 adults in two rural towns and statistically analyzed the comparative and combinative effects of the three factors after detecting HBsAg and HBV DNA titers, determining estimated daily intakes (EDIs) of AFB1 and MC-LR and testing serum AST and ALT as liver injury markers for each participant. We observed a HBsAg(+) rate of 7.6%, a relatively high AFB1 exposure level (mean EDI_AFB1 = 471.30 ng/d), and a relatively low MC-LR exposure level (mean EDI_MC-LR = 228.25 ng/d). ORs for abnormal AST (2.42, 95%CI = 1.69-3.45) and ALT (2.87, 95%CI = 1.91-4.29) increased in HBV infections compared with HBV-unexposed participants but did not increase in participants with separate or combined exposure to AFB1 and MC-LR (EDIs ≥ mean). Meanwhile, after adjustment for confounding factors, means of AST and ALT and ORs of abnormal AST and ALT were successively elevated after exposure to HBV, HBV&AFB1 (or HBV&MC-LR), and HBV&AFB1&MC-LR, especially in the group with detectable HBV DNA (AST: OR = 11.38, 95%CI = 3.91-33.17; ALT: OR = 17.09, 95%CI = 5.36-54.53). Notably, ORs for abnormal AST and ALT in the HBV exposed group were not significantly different from those in HBV&AFB1 or in the HBV&MC-LR exposed group but were significantly higher in the HBV&AFB1&MC-LR exposed group (P = 0.029 and P = 0.037, respectively). Our study indicated that microcystin may have the potential to increase the risk of liver injury induced by combined exposure to HBV and aflatoxin. However, in consideration of the uncertainties in the detection of the toxins and evaluation of the EDIs, more epidemiological data are expected to determine the increasing toxic effects of microcystins.

Spatial and temporal variability in the relationship between cyanobacterial biomass and microcystins

The increasing incidence of toxic cyanobacterial blooms, together with the difficulties to reliably predict cyanobacterial toxin (e.g. microcystins) concentration, has created the need to assess the predictive ability and variability of the cyanobacterial biomass-microcystin relationship, which is currently used to assess the risk to human and ecosystems health. To achieve this aim, we assessed the relationship between cyanobacterial biomass and microcystin concentration on a spatiotemporal scale by quantifying the concentration of cyanobacterial biomass and microcystin in eight lakes over 9 months. On both a temporal and spatial scale, the variability of microcystin concentration exceeded that of cyanobacterial biomass by up to four times. The relationship between cyanobacterial biomass and microcystin was weak and site specific. The variability of cyanobacterial biomass only explained 25 % of the variability in total microcystin concentration and 7 % of the variability of cellular microcystin concentration. Although a significant correlation does not always imply real cause, the results of multiple linear regression analysis suggest that the variability of cyanobacterial biomass and cellular microcystin concentration is influenced by salinity and total phosphorus, respectively. The weak cyanobacterial biomass-microcystin relationship, coupled with the fact that microcystin was present in concentrations exceeding the WHO drinking water guidelines (1 μg L(-1)) in most of the collected samples, emphasizes the high risk of error connected to the traditional indirect microcystin risk assessment method.

Degradation of microcystin-LR and RR by a Stenotrophomonas sp. strain EMS isolated from Lake Taihu, China

A bacterial strain EMS with the capability of degrading microcystins (MCs) was isolated from Lake Taihu, China. The bacterium was tentatively identified as a Stenotrophomonas sp. The bacterium could completely consume MC-LR and MC-RR within 24 hours at a concentration of 0.7 μg/mL and 1.7 μg/mL, respectively. The degradation of MC-LR and MC-RR by EMS occurred preferentially in an alkaline environment. In addition, mlrA gene involved in the degradation of MC-LR and MC-RR was detected in EMS. Due to the limited literature this gene has rare homologues. Sequencing analysis of the translated protein from mlrA suggested that MlrA might be a transmembrane protein, which suggests a possible new protease family having unique function.