Proteomic analysis of a toxic dinoflagellate Alexandrium catenella under different growth phases and conditions

Abstract

Alexandrium is a widely spread dinoflagellate genus throughout many regions of the world, which not only causes the harmful algal blooms (HABs) but also results in the paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) throughout the world. This study compared protein profiles of A. catenella grown under different growth phases and conditions using a proteomic approach, and identified the differentially expressed proteins. The results showed that the expressions of proteins identified in three different regions of the gels, the groups 1, 2 and 3 proteins, varied significantly with the growth phases and conditions. Group 1 proteins and six Group 2 proteins were highly expressed at the initial, exponential and stationary growth phases, eight Group 2 proteins were highly expressed only at the initial phase, and Group 3 proteins were highly expressed at the exponential and/or stationary phases. However, all these proteins were expressed at low levels or were barely visible at the dissipation phase. The expressions of groups 1 and 2 proteins were low or barely visible in various growth conditions except in continuous darkness they were highly expressed. Group 3 proteins, on the other hand, were overexpressed in continuous illumination and expressed at low levels or barely visible in continuous darkness or under nitrate-starvation. The data from MALDI-TOF-TOF mass spectrometry demonstrated that these differentially expressed proteins were associated with macromolecular biosynthesis, photosynthesis, tRNA synthesis and DNA stability, stress response and cell division regulation. Synthetase was the major component of the altered proteins. This is one of the first comprehensive proteomic study of a dinoflagellate, A. catenella, that provides a fundamental understanding of the proteins involved in A. catenella growth and response to environmental stresses, and potential physiological indicator proteins related to growth and environmental stress have been identified.

The Mechanism of Diarrhetic Shellfish Poisoning Toxin Production in Prorocentrum spp.: Physiological and Molecular Perspectives

“…Most proteomic studies in the area of algal toxins have focused on PSP toxin biosynthesis in Alexandrium spp. [118,122,123,124,128,129,130,131]. Certain researchers have compared the 2-DE profiles of 2 strains with considerable variations in the levels of toxins triggered by different environmental conditions or growth phases [124,129,130].…”

“…[118,122,123,124,128,129,130,131]. Certain researchers have compared the 2-DE profiles of 2 strains with considerable variations in the levels of toxins triggered by different environmental conditions or growth phases [124,129,130]. Others have examined differentially expressed proteins, which were observed by comparing the 2-DE profiles of 2 strains with dramatic variations in the levels of toxin [123,128].…”

Comparative Proteomic Analysis Reveals Proteins Putatively Involved in Toxin Biosynthesis in the Marine Dinoflagellate Alexandrium catenella

“…Proteomics is a global technique that provides effective strategies and tools for profiling and identifying the proteins of various organisms, including dinoflagellates [22,23,24,25]. A “toxicity biomarker” is identified from toxic Alexandrium species using the proteomic approach although the function of this biomarker is still unclear [26].…”

Omics in marine biotechnology

“…This topic contains 12 papers produced by research groups from China, Germany, and Korea. To help readers, we have arranged the papers according to their research topics: genomics [1-3]; transcriptomics [4]; proteomics [5][6][7][8][9]; metabolomics [10,11], and nutrigenomics [12].The objective of this topic is to offer a platform for marine biological scientists to present recent advances in the discovery and development of omics in marine biotechnology, providing a large-scale, holistic approach to understanding life in encapsulated "omes". In this special topic, several genomes, including major histocompatibility complex genes [2], phytochrome genes [3] and immune-and antiviral-related genes [4], have been systematically investigated based on functional genomic studies, providing targets for further structural and functional analyses.…”

“…This topic contains 12 papers produced by research groups from China, Germany, and Korea. To help readers, we have arranged the papers according to their research topics: genomics [1-3]; transcriptomics [4]; proteomics [5][6][7][8][9]; metabolomics [10,11], and nutrigenomics [12].…”