In Vitro Toxicological Screening of Stable and Senescing Cultures of Aphanizomenon, Planktothrix, and Raphidiopsis

Influence of bloom stage on the effectiveness of algicidal bacteria in controlling harmful cyanobacteria: A microcosm study

Cyanobacterial harmful algae blooms (cyanoHABs) pose significant ecological and public health concerns in freshwater ecosystems worldwide. Understanding the dynamics of phytoplankton communities and the efficacy of mitigation strategies is crucial for managing bloom events. This study investigates the impact of bioaugmentation with algicidal bacteria on Microcystis-dominated blooms through laboratory microcosm experiments. Field-collected samples from MID- and POST-summer bloom stages were treated with Morganella morganii, Exiguobacterium acetylicum, and a bacterial consortium including Bacillus pumilus. Phytoplankton composition, microcystin concentrations and genes related to microbial community dynamics (16S, mcyA, nosZ and amoA) were assessed by microscopy, HPLC and qPCR, respectively. Results showed that M. morganii significantly altered the phytoplankton community structure and promoted diatom proliferation in MID-summer microcosms, though treatments were less effective in POST-summer microcosms representing more mature bloom periods. Additionally, algicidal bacteria influenced microcystin levels, with M. morganii and E. acetylicum reducing toxigenic Microcystis genotypes, as indicated by lower mcyA gene copy numbers. Molecular analyses also revealed that algicidal bacterial treatments contributed to shifts in microbial functional genes, including increased denitrification activity linked to nosZ gene abundance. These findings highlight the intricate interplay between algicidal bacteria and microbial communities, where algicidal activity extends beyond direct cyanobacteria suppression to broader ecosystem-level effects. By rebalancing phytoplankton communities toward eukaryotic dominance and reducing toxigenic cyanobacterial genotypes during intense bloom episodes, bioaugmentation with algicidal bacteria emerges as a promising strategy for bloom management and ecosystem restoration.

Microbiological approaches for mycotoxin decontamination in foods and feeds to enhance food security: a review

Mycotoxins are a major food safety concern due to their impact on human health and the economy. Traditional methods for managing mycotoxin contamination in food are insufficient, particularly when faced with the challenges of co-occurring, modified, and emerging mycotoxins. This review investigates the potential of microbiological decontamination techniques with an emphasis on recent developments in molecular biology, nanotechnology, and artificial intelligence (AI). Investigating mycotoxin-degrading microbes, including their metabolic pathways and enzymatic mechanisms, is key to developing effective strategies against mycotoxin contamination. Advanced technologies like next-generation sequencing, clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats associated protein 9 (CRISPR/Cas9), and nanotechnology enable the engineering, optimization, and validation of crucial decontamination parameters. Furthermore, AI algorithms can predict mycotoxin presence, identify ideal microbial agents, and optimize control conditions. This interdisciplinary approach offers transformative potential for improving mycotoxin decontamination and mitigating its risks in food and feed. The convergence of emerging technologies, such as advancements in molecular biology, nanotechnology, and AI, with microbiological decontamination methods holds immense promise for developing more sustainable and effective approaches to address mycotoxin contamination in the future. This review explores the future of mycotoxin decontamination, emphasizing the need for innovative agricultural practices to ensure food safety and security.

Phylogenetic and molecular characteristics of two Aphanizomenon strains from the Curonian Lagoon, Southeastern Baltic Sea and their biological activities

Polyphasic approach has become a generally accepted method for the classification of cyanobacteria. In this study, we present a detailed characterisation of two strains, KUCC C1 and KUCC C2, isolated from the Curonian Lagoon and classified to the Aphanizomenon genus. Despite phylogenetic similarity, the strains differ with respect to morphology, ultrastructure characteristics, and the metabolite profile. In the KUCC C1 extract, three unknown peptides and eight anabaenopeptins were detected, while KUCC C2 produced one unknown peptide and one aeruginosin. In both strains, a total of eleven pigments were detected. The production of myxoxantophyll, chlorophyll-a, chlorophylide-a, and zeaxanthin was higher in KUCC C2 than in KUCC C1. Extracts from both strains of Aphanizomenon also had different effects in antibacterial, anticancer and enzyme inhibition assays. Comprehensive analyses of Aphanizomenon strains performed in this study showed significant diversity between the isolates from the same bloom sample. These differences should be considered when exploring the ecological significance and biotechnological potential of a given population.

Understanding the Risks of Diffusion of Cyanobacteria Toxins in Rivers, Lakes, and Potable Water

Blue-green algae, or cyanobacteria, may be prevalent in our rivers and tap water. These minuscule bacteria can grow swiftly and form blooms in warm, nutrient-rich water. Toxins produced by cyanobacteria can pollute rivers and streams and harm the liver and nervous system in humans. This review highlights the properties of 25 toxin types produced by 12 different cyanobacteria genera. The review also covered strategies for reducing and controlling cyanobacteria issues. These include using physical or chemical treatments, cutting back on fertilizer input, algal lawn scrubbers, and antagonistic microorganisms for biocontrol. Micro-, nano- and ultrafiltration techniques could be used for the removal of internal and extracellular cyanotoxins, in addition to powdered or granular activated carbon, ozonation, sedimentation, ultraviolet radiation, potassium permanganate, free chlorine, and pre-treatment oxidation techniques. The efficiency of treatment techniques for removing intracellular and extracellular cyanotoxins is also demonstrated. These approaches aim to lessen the risks of cyanobacterial blooms and associated toxins. Effective management of cyanobacteria in water systems depends on early detection and quick action. Cyanobacteria cells and their toxins can be detected using microscopy, molecular methods, chromatography, and spectroscopy. Understanding the causes of blooms and the many ways for their detection and elimination will help the management of this crucial environmental issue.

Plankton hitch-hikers on naturalists’ instruments as silent intruders of aquatic ecosystems: current risks and possible prevention

Organism dispersal is nowadays highly driven by human vectors. This also refers to the aquatic organisms that can often silently spread in and invade new waters, especially when human vectors of dispersal act without brakes. Thus, it is mandatory to continuously identify human-mediated mechanisms of organism dispersal and implement proper biosecurity treatments. In this study, we demonstrate how the plankton net – one of the basic instruments in the equipment of every plankton sampling person is a good vector for plankton dispersal and invasions. We also demonstrate whether keeping the net in an ethanol solution after sampling is a proper biosecurity treatment, and what kind of treatments are implemented by people worldwide. The first simulation shows that bloom-forming cyanobacteria can easily infiltrate into the new environment thanks to the nets, and can prosper there. However, ethanol-based biosecurity treatment efficiently prevented their spread and proliferation in the new environment. The second simulation, based on wild plankton from an eutrophic lake, indicates that a plethora of phyto- and zooplankton taxa can infiltrate into the new waterbody through the net and sustain themselves there if the net is only flushed in the waterbody and left to dry after sampling (an approach that is commonly used by naturalists). Here, we also show that native plankton residents strongly shape the fate of hitch-hikers, but some of them like cyanobacteria can successfully compete with residents. Survey data alert us to the fact that the vast majority of biologists use either ineffective or questionable biosecurity treatments and only less than a tenth of samplers implement treatments based on disinfectant liquids. Our results emphasize that the lack of proper biosecurity methods implemented by the biologists facilitates the spread and invasions of plankton including also invasive species of a great nuisance to native ecosystems. Considering that naturalists usually use different instruments that might also be good vectors of plankton dispersal, it is necessary to develop proper uniform biosecurity treatments. No longer facilitating the plankton spread through hydrobiological instruments is the milestone that we, plankton samplers worldwide, should achieve together in the nearest future if we want to continue our desire to explore, understand, protect and save nature.

Multibiomarker-based assessment of toxicity of central European strains of filamentous cyanobacteria Aphanizomenon gracile and Raphidiopsis raciborskii to zebrafish Danio rerio

The global increase in cyanobacterial blooms poses environmental and health threats. Selected cyanobacterial strains reveal toxicities despite a lack of synthesis of known toxic metabolites, and the mechanisms of these toxicities are not well understood. Here we investigated the toxicity of non-cylindrospermopsin and non-microcystin producing Aphanizomenon gracile and Raphidiopsis raciborskii of Central European origin to zebrafish exposed for 14 days to their extracts. Toxicological screening revealed the presence of anabaenopeptins and a lack of anatoxin-a, ß-methylamino-L-alanine or saxitoxins in examined extracts. The responses were compared to 20 μg L^-1 of common cyanobacterial toxins cylindrospermopsin (CYN) and microcystin-LR (MC-LR). The expression of the marker genes involved in apoptosis (caspase 3a and 3b, Bcl-2, BAX, p53, MAPK, Nrf2), DNA damage detection and repair (GADD45, RAD51, JUN, XPC), detoxification (CYP1A, CYP26, EPHX1), lipid metabolism (PPARa, FABP1, PLA2), phosphorylation/dephosphorylation (PPP6C, PPM1) and cytoskeleton (actin, tubulin) were examined using targeted transcriptomics. Cellular stress and toxicity biomarkers (oxidative injury, antioxidant enzymes, thiol pool status, and lactate dehydrogenase activity) were measured in the liver, and acetylcholinesterase activity was determined as an index of neurotoxicity in the brain. The extracts of three cyanobacterial strains that produce no known cyanotoxins caused marked toxicity in D. rerio, and the biomarker profiles indicate different toxic mechanisms between the bioactive compounds extracted from these strains and the purified cyanotoxins. All studied cyanobacterial extracts and purified cyanotoxins induced oxidative stress and neurotoxicity, downregulated Nrf2 and CYP26B1, disrupted phosphorylation/dephosphorylation processes and actin/tubulin cytoskeleton and upregulated apoptotic activity in the liver. The tested strains and purified toxins displayed distinctively different effects on lipid metabolism. Unlike CYN and MC-LR, the Central European strain of A. gracile and R. raciborskii did not reveal a genotoxic potential. These findings help to further understand the ecotoxicological consequences of toxic cyanobacterial blooms in freshwater ecosystems.

Interplay of Nutrients, Temperature, and Competition of Native and Alien Cyanobacteria Species Growth and Cyanotoxin Production in Temperate Lakes

Global warming and eutrophication contribute to formation of HABs and distribution of alien cyanobacteria northward. The current study assessed how alien to Europe Sphaerospermopsis aphanizomenoides and Chrysosporum bergii will co-occur with dominant native Planktothrix agardhii and Aphanizomenon gracile species under changing conditions in temperate freshwaters. The experiments were carried out to examine the effect of nutrients and temperature on the growth rate of cyanobacteria, production of cyanotoxins, and interspecies competition. The highest growth rate was determined for A. gracile (0.43 day-1) and S. aphanizomenoides (0.40 day-1) strains at all the tested nutrient concentrations (IP and IN were significant factors). S. aphanizomenoides adapted to the wide range of nutrient concentrations and temperature due to high species ecological plasticity; however, A. gracile was able to suppress its dominance under changing conditions. Regularity between tested variables and STX concentration in A. gracile was not found, but IP concentration negatively correlated with the amount of dmMC-RR and other non-ribosomal peptides (NRPs) in P. agardhii strains. The relative concentration of NRPs in nontoxic P. agardhii strain was up to 3-fold higher than in MC-producing strain. Our study indicated that nutrients, temperature, and species had significant effects on interspecies competition. A. gracile had a negative effect on biomass of both alien species and P. agardhii.

Insight into Unprecedented Diversity of Cyanopeptides in Eutrophic Ponds Using an MS/MS Networking Approach

Man-made shallow fishponds in the Czech Republic have been facing high eutrophication since the 1950s. Anthropogenic eutrophication and feeding of fish have strongly affected the physicochemical properties of water and its aquatic community composition, leading to harmful algal bloom formation. In our current study, we characterized the phytoplankton community across three eutrophic ponds to assess the phytoplankton dynamics during the vegetation season. We microscopically identified and quantified 29 cyanobacterial taxa comprising non-toxigenic and toxigenic species. Further, a detailed cyanopeptides (CNPs) profiling was performed using molecular networking analysis of liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) data coupled with a dereplication strategy. This MS networking approach, coupled with dereplication, on the online global natural product social networking (GNPS) web platform led us to putatively identify forty CNPs: fourteen anabaenopeptins, ten microcystins, five cyanopeptolins, six microginins, two cyanobactins, a dipeptide radiosumin, a cyclooctapeptide planktocyclin, and epidolastatin 12. We applied the binary logistic regression to estimate the CNPs producers by correlating the GNPS data with the species abundance. The usage of the GNPS web platform proved a valuable approach for the rapid and simultaneous detection of a large number of peptides and rapid risk assessments for harmful blooms.