title: Seasonality and toxin production of Pyrodinium bahamense in a Red Sea lagoon.
abstract: Harmful algal blooms of the dinoflagellate Pyrodinium bahamense have caused human and economic losses in the last decades. This study, for the first time, documents a bloom of P. bahamense in the Red Sea. The alga was recurrently present in a semi-enclosed lagoon throughout nearly 2 years of observations. The highest cell densities (104-105cellsL-1) were recorded from September to beginning of December at temperatures and salinities of ∼26-32°C and ∼41, respectively. The peak of the bloom was recorded mid-November, before a sharp decrease in cell numbers at the end of December. Minimum concentrations in summer were at ∼103cellsL-1. A saxitoxin ELISA immunoassay of cultures and water samples confirmed the toxicity of the strain found in the Red Sea. Moreover, a gene expression analysis of the saxitoxin gene domain SxtA4 showed that transcript production peaked at the culmination of the bloom, suggesting a relation between transcript production, sudden cells increment-decline, and environmental factors.
authors.affiliation: Red Sea Research Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Banguera-Hinestroza
authors.affiliation: Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, P. O. Box. 1066 Blindern, 0316 Oslo, Norway; Norwegian Institute for Water Research, Gaustadallèen 21, 0349 Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Eikrem
authors.affiliation: Translational Genomics Research Group, OLMAN-RL, FPN, Mohamed 1st University, Oujda 60000, Morocco.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Mansour
authors.affiliation: Red Sea Research Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Solberg
authors.affiliation: Red Sea Research Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cúrdia
authors.affiliation: Red Sea Research Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Holtermann
authors.affiliation: Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, P. O. Box. 1066 Blindern, 0316 Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Edvardsen
authors.affiliation: Red Sea Research Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia; Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, P. O. Box. 1066 Blindern, 0316 Oslo, Norway. Electronic address: stein.kaartvedt@ibv.uio.no.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kaartvedt
mesh_terms: D004141:Dinoflagellida / Q000737:chemistry / Q000502:physiology*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D057097:Harmful Algal Bloom; D019156:Indian Ocean; D012530:Saxitoxin / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D012621:Seasons; D012623:Seawater; D013696:Temperature
chemical_list: D012530:Saxitoxin
keywords: Elisa test; Harmful algae; Pyrodinium bahamense; Red Sea; StA4A transcripts