Genetic characterization of Microcystis aeruginosa isolates from Portuguese freshwater systems.
Cyanobacteria are microorganisms that pose a serious threat to the aquatic waterways through the production of dense blooms under eutrophic conditions and the release of toxic secondary metabolites-cyanotoxins. Within cyanobacteria, the colonial planktonic Microcystis aeruginosa is widely distributed in both fresh and brackish aquatic environments throughout the world being frequently observed in the Portuguese water systems. Apart from the well-established distribution of M. aeruginosa in Portugal, knowledge of its genetic diversity and population structure is unknown. Therefore, in this study twenty-seven strains were obtained from the North, Centre and South regions of Portugal and were subjected to extensive phylogenetic analyses using simultaneously four distinct genetic markers (16S rRNA, 16S-23S ITS, DNA gyrase subunit ß and cell division protein (ftsZ)) encompassing in total 2834 bp. With this work we characterized the phylogenetic relationship among the Portuguese strains, with the southern strains showing higher genetic structure relatively to the North and Centre strains. A total of fifteen genotypes were determined for M. aeruginosa in Portuguese water systems revealing a high genetic diversity. This is also the first study to report geographic variation on the population structure of the Portuguese M. aeruginosa.
CIIMAR/CIMAR, Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, University of Porto, Rua dos Bragas, 177, 4050-123, Porto, Portugal.|Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre, 4169-007, Porto, Portugal.
Cristiana
C
Moreira
CIIMAR/CIMAR, Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, University of Porto, Rua dos Bragas, 177, 4050-123, Porto, Portugal.|Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre, 4169-007, Porto, Portugal.
Vitor
V
Vasconcelos
CIIMAR/CIMAR, Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research, University of Porto, Rua dos Bragas, 177, 4050-123, Porto, Portugal. aantunes@ciimar.up.pt.|Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto, Rua do Campo Alegre, 4169-007, Porto, Portugal. aantunes@ciimar.up.pt.
Agostinho
A
Antunes
D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D027081:DNA Gyrase / Q000235:genetics; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal / Q000235:genetics; D021903:DNA, Ribosomal Spacer / Q000235:genetics; D005618:Fresh Water / Q000382:microbiology*; D046931:Microcystis / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D010802:Phylogeny; D058974:Phylogeography; D011174:Portugal; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D012338:RNA, Ribosomal, 23S / Q000235:genetics; D011995:Recombination, Genetic; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D014881:Water Supply
D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D004275:DNA, Ribosomal; D021903:DNA, Ribosomal Spacer; C071525:FtsZ protein, Bacteria; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; D012338:RNA, Ribosomal, 23S; D027081:DNA Gyrase
M. aeruginosa; Microcystins; Multi-gene analysis and phylogeny