Alexandrium fundyense NEU2011

Contents [hide] thumb| |300px| |center| 1 Introduction 2 Section 1 3 Section 2 4 Section 3 5 Conclusion 6 References Introduction

Classification

Eukaryota (Domain); Dinoflagellata (Phylum); Dinophyceae (Class); Peridiniphycidae (Subclass) Gonyaulacales (Order); Gonyaulacaceae (Family); Alexandrium (Genus)

Description and significance

Alexandrium fundyense is a photosynthetic marine dinoflagellate that lives in the upper water column (photic-zone) of coastal waters (1). It is a part of the Thecate group or “armored dinoflagellates”, meaning it has thecal plates made of cellulose) surrounding the cell like armor (2). Like all dinoflagellates it has two flagella. One is the transverse flagellum, which wraps around the cell in a groove in the thecal plates and provides propulsion and a spinning motion. The other is a longitudinal flagellum that extends from the posterior end of the cell and acts as a steering system (1). Alexandrium fundyense is a very significant microbe on the eastern seaboard as it causes yearly Red tide events when there are high nutrients and low grazing pressures in the coastal waters (3). These large coastal blooms of A. fundyense cause problems because they produce a neuromuscular toxin called a saxitoxin, which accumulates up the food chain and concentrates in the tissue of filter-feeding shellfish and fish. The consumption of these toxic shellfish by humans can lead to Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning (PSP), which can be fatal (3). It also leads to the shut down of coastal fishing in affected areas, which has large economic consequences for the fishing industry in those areas (3).

Genome Structure

The complete genome of Alexandrium fundyense has been sequenced (boldsystems.org) and it has been found that A. fundyense has highly redundant nuclear genes (Erdner and Anderson 2006). DNA sequencing is the most frequently used and most reliable method for distinguishing different species of the Alexandrium genus. There is evidence of very little transcriptional regulation (Erdner and Anderson 2006) and the mitochondrial mRNA is subject to editing (Zhang and Lin 2005).

References

Chockalingam, Evvie, and S. Subramanian. “Utility of Eucalyptus Tereticornis (Smith) Bark and Desulfotomaculum Nigrificans for the Remediation of Acid Mine Drainage.” Bioresource Technology 100, no. 2 (January 2009): 615–621. doi:10.1016/j.biortech.2008.07.004.

“Genus Desulfotomaculum - Hierarchy - The Taxonomicon.” Accessed November 5, 2013. http://taxonomicon.taxonomy.nl/TaxonTree.aspx?id=229.

Kaksonen, Anna H., Stefan Spring, Peter Schumann, Reiner M. Kroppenstedt, and Jaakko A. Puhakka. “Desulfotomaculum Thermosubterraneum Sp. Nov., a Thermophilic Sulfate-reducer Isolated from an Underground Mine Located in a Geothermally Active Area.” International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology 56, no. 11 (November 1, 2006): 2603–2608. doi:10.1099/ijs.0.64439-0.

Liu, Yitai, Tim M. Karnauchow, Ken F. Jarrell, David L. Balkwill, Gwendolyn R. Drake, David Ringelberg, Ronald Clarno, and David R. Boone. “Description of Two New Thermophilic Desulfotomaculum Spp., Desulfotomaculum Putei Sp. Nov., from a Deep Terrestrial Subsurface, and Desulfotomaculum Luciae Sp. Nov., from a Hot Spring.” International Journal of Systematic Bacteriology 47, no. 3 (July 1, 1997): 615–621. doi:10.1099/00207713-47-3-615.

Moser, Duane P, Thomas M Gihring, Fred J Brockman, James K Fredrickson, David L Balkwill, Michael E Dollhopf, Barbara Sherwood Lollar, et al. “Desulfotomaculum and Methanobacterium Spp. Dominate a 4- to 5-kilometer-deep Fault.” Applied and Environmental Microbiology 71, no. 12 (December 2005): 8773–8783. doi:10.1128/AEM.71.12.8773-8783.2005.

Ogg, Christopher D, and Bharat K C Patel. “Desulfotomaculum Varum Sp. Nov., a Moderately Thermophilic Sulfate-reducing Bacterium Isolated from a Microbial Mat Colonizing a Great Artesian Basin Bore Well Runoff Channel.” 3 Biotech 1, no. 3 (October 2011): 139–149. doi:10.1007/s13205-011-0017-5.

Pikuta, E, A Lysenko, N Suzina, G Osipov, B Kuznetsov, T Tourova, V Akimenko, and K Laurinavichius. “Desulfotomaculum Alkaliphilum Sp. Nov., a New Alkaliphilic, Moderately Thermophilic, Sulfate-reducing Bacterium.” International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology 50 Pt 1 (January 2000): 25–33.