title: Bacterial community associated with Pfiesteria-like dinoflagellate cultures.
abstract: Dinoflagellates (Eukaryota; Alveolata; Dinophyceae) are single-cell eukaryotic microorganisms implicated in many toxic outbreaks in the marine and estuarine environment. Co-existing with dinoflagellate communities are bacterial assemblages that undergo changes in species composition, compete for nutrients and produce bioactive compounds, including toxins. As part of an investigation to understand the role of the bacteria in dinoflagellate physiology and toxigenesis, we have characterized the bacterial community associated with laboratory cultures of four 'Pfiesteria-like' dinoflagellates isolated from 1997 fish killing events in Chesapeake Bay. A polymerase chain reaction with oligonucleotide primers specific to prokaryotic 16S rDNA gene sequences was used to characterize the total bacterial population, including culturable and non-culturable species, as well as possible endosymbiotic bacteria. The results indicate a diverse group of over 30 bacteria species co-existing in the dinoflagellate cultures. The broad phylogenetic types of dinoflagellate-associated bacteria were generally similar, although not identical, to those bacterial types found in association with other harmful algal species. Dinoflagellates were made axenic, and the culturable bacteria were added back to determine the contribution of the bacteria to dinoflagellate growth. Confocal scanning laser fluorescence microscopy with 16S rDNA probes was used to demonstrate a physical association of a subset of the bacteria and the dinoflagellate cells. These data point to a key component in the bacterial community being species in the marine alpha-proteobacteria group, most closely associated with the alpha-3 or SAR83 cluster.
authors.affiliation: Center of Marine Biotechnology, University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute, 701 East Pratt Street, Baltimore, MD 21202, USA.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Alavi
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Erlandson
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Schneider
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Belas
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001419:Bacteria / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development*; D003470:Culture Media; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal / Q000032:analysis; D004141:Dinoflagellida / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development*; D017753:Ecosystem; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D020045:Pfiesteria piscicida / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development*; D010802:Phylogeny; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D003470:Culture Media; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S