Diverse taxa of cyanobacteria produce β-N-methylamino-l-alanine, a neurotoxic amino acid

Paul Alan Cox; Sandra Anne Banack; Susan J. Murch; Ulla Rasmussen; Georgia Tien; Robert Richard Bidigare; James S. Metcalf; Louise F. Morrison; Geoffrey A. Codd; Birgitta Bergman

doi:10.1073/pnas.0501526102

Diverse taxa of cyanobacteria produce β-N-methylamino-l-alanine, a neurotoxic amino acid

Paul Alan Cox, Sandra Anne Banack, Susan J. Murch, Ulla Rasmussen, Georgia Tien, Robert Richard Bidigare, James S. Metcalf, Louise F. Morrison, Geoffrey A. Codd, Birgitta Bergman

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

633 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Cyanobacteria can generate molecules hazardous to human health, but production of the known cyanotoxins is taxonomically sporadic. For example, members of a few genera produce hepatotoxic microcystins, whereas production of hepatotoxic nodularins appears to be limited to a single genus. Production of known neurotoxins has also been considered phylogenetically unpredictable. We report here that a single neurotoxin, ß-N-methylamino- L-alanine, may be produced by all known groups of cyanobacteria, including cyanobacterial symbionts and free-living cyanobacteria. The ubiquity of cyanobacteria in terrestrial, as well as freshwater, brackish, and marine environments, suggests a potential for widespread human exposure.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	5074-5078
Number of pages	5
Journal	Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Volume	102
Issue number	14
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0501526102
Publication status	Published - Apr 2005

Keywords

Biomagnification
Neurotoxin
Symbiosis
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Parkinsonism–dementia complex

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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10.1073/pnas.0501526102

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Cox, P. A., Banack, S. A., Murch, S. J., Rasmussen, U., Tien, G., Bidigare, R. R., Metcalf, J. S., Morrison, L. F., Codd, G. A., & Bergman, B. (2005). Diverse taxa of cyanobacteria produce β-N-methylamino-l-alanine, a neurotoxic amino acid. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 102(14), 5074-5078. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0501526102

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title = "Diverse taxa of cyanobacteria produce β-N-methylamino-l-alanine, a neurotoxic amino acid",

abstract = "Cyanobacteria can generate molecules hazardous to human health, but production of the known cyanotoxins is taxonomically sporadic. For example, members of a few genera produce hepatotoxic microcystins, whereas production of hepatotoxic nodularins appears to be limited to a single genus. Production of known neurotoxins has also been considered phylogenetically unpredictable. We report here that a single neurotoxin, {\ss}-N-methylamino- L-alanine, may be produced by all known groups of cyanobacteria, including cyanobacterial symbionts and free-living cyanobacteria. The ubiquity of cyanobacteria in terrestrial, as well as freshwater, brackish, and marine environments, suggests a potential for widespread human exposure.",

keywords = "Biomagnification, Neurotoxin, Symbiosis, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Parkinsonism–dementia complex",

author = "Cox, \{Paul Alan\} and Banack, \{Sandra Anne\} and Murch, \{Susan J.\} and Ulla Rasmussen and Georgia Tien and Bidigare, \{Robert Richard\} and Metcalf, \{James S.\} and Morrison, \{Louise F.\} and Codd, \{Geoffrey A.\} and Birgitta Bergman",

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Cox, PA, Banack, SA, Murch, SJ, Rasmussen, U, Tien, G, Bidigare, RR, Metcalf, JS, Morrison, LF, Codd, GA & Bergman, B 2005, 'Diverse taxa of cyanobacteria produce β-N-methylamino-l-alanine, a neurotoxic amino acid', Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, vol. 102, no. 14, pp. 5074-5078. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0501526102

TY - JOUR

T1 - Diverse taxa of cyanobacteria produce β-N-methylamino-l-alanine, a neurotoxic amino acid

AU - Cox, Paul Alan

AU - Banack, Sandra Anne

AU - Murch, Susan J.

AU - Rasmussen, Ulla

AU - Tien, Georgia

AU - Bidigare, Robert Richard

AU - Metcalf, James S.

AU - Morrison, Louise F.

AU - Codd, Geoffrey A.

AU - Bergman, Birgitta

N1 - dc.publisher: National Academy of Sciences

PY - 2005/4

Y1 - 2005/4

N2 - Cyanobacteria can generate molecules hazardous to human health, but production of the known cyanotoxins is taxonomically sporadic. For example, members of a few genera produce hepatotoxic microcystins, whereas production of hepatotoxic nodularins appears to be limited to a single genus. Production of known neurotoxins has also been considered phylogenetically unpredictable. We report here that a single neurotoxin, ß-N-methylamino- L-alanine, may be produced by all known groups of cyanobacteria, including cyanobacterial symbionts and free-living cyanobacteria. The ubiquity of cyanobacteria in terrestrial, as well as freshwater, brackish, and marine environments, suggests a potential for widespread human exposure.

AB - Cyanobacteria can generate molecules hazardous to human health, but production of the known cyanotoxins is taxonomically sporadic. For example, members of a few genera produce hepatotoxic microcystins, whereas production of hepatotoxic nodularins appears to be limited to a single genus. Production of known neurotoxins has also been considered phylogenetically unpredictable. We report here that a single neurotoxin, ß-N-methylamino- L-alanine, may be produced by all known groups of cyanobacteria, including cyanobacterial symbionts and free-living cyanobacteria. The ubiquity of cyanobacteria in terrestrial, as well as freshwater, brackish, and marine environments, suggests a potential for widespread human exposure.

KW - Biomagnification

KW - Neurotoxin

KW - Symbiosis

KW - Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

KW - Parkinsonism–dementia complex

U2 - 10.1073/pnas.0501526102

DO - 10.1073/pnas.0501526102

M3 - Article

SN - 0027-8424

VL - 102

SP - 5074

EP - 5078

JO - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

JF - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

IS - 14

ER -

Diverse taxa of cyanobacteria produce β-N-methylamino-l-alanine, a neurotoxic amino acid

Abstract

Keywords

UN SDGs

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