Molecular forecasting of domoic acid during a pervasive toxic diatom bloom

In 2015, the largest recorded harmful algal bloom (HAB) occurred in the Northeast Pacific, causing nearly 100 million dollars in damages to fisheries and killing many protected marine mammals. Dominated by the toxic diatom <i>Pseudo-nitzschia australis</i>, this bloom produced high levels of the neurotoxin domoic acid (DA). Through molecular and transcriptional characterization of 52 near-weekly phytoplankton net-tow samples collected at a bloom hotspot in Monterey Bay, California, we identified active transcription of known DA biosynthesis (<i>dab</i>) genes from the three identified toxigenic species, including <i>P. australis</i> as the primary origin of toxicity. Elevated expression of silicon transporters (<i>sit1</i>) during the bloom supports the previously hypothesized role of dissolved silica (Si) exhaustion in contributing to bloom physiology and toxicity. We find that coexpression of the <i>dabA</i> and <i>sit1</i> genes serves as a robust predictor of DA one week in advance, potentially enabling the forecasting of DA-producing HABs. We additionally present evidence that low levels of iron could have colimited the diatom population along with low Si. Iron limitation represents an overlooked driver of both toxin production and ecological success of the low-iron-adapted <i>Pseudo-nitzschia</i> genus during the 2015 bloom, and increasing pervasiveness of iron limitation may fuel the escalating magnitude and frequency of toxic <i>Pseudo-nitzschia</i> blooms globally. Our results advance understanding of bloom physiology underlying toxin production, bloom prediction, and the impact of global change on toxic blooms.

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Publication Details

Journal
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Published
2024-09-19
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2319177121
Citations
32
Primary Topic
Marine Toxins and Detection Methods
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
8.01

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article

Molecular forecasting of domoic acid during a pervasive toxic diatom bloom

Ariel Rabines, Zoltán Füssy, John K. Brunson, John P. Ryan et al.
32 citations
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Marine Toxins and Detection Methods
8.01
article

Molecular forecasting of domoic acid during a pervasive toxic diatom bloom

Ariel Rabines, Zoltán Füssy, John K. Brunson, John P. Ryan, Bethany C. Kolody, Chase C. James, G. Jason Smith, Clarissa R. Anderson, Raphael M. Kudela, Bradley S. Moore, Monica Thukral, Andrew E. Allen, Pratap Venepally, Chui Pin Leaw, Francisco P. Chávez, Hong Zheng
article en
32 citations

Abstract

In 2015, the largest recorded harmful algal bloom (HAB) occurred in the Northeast Pacific, causing nearly 100 million dollars in damages to fisheries and killing many protected marine mammals. Dominated by the toxic diatom <i>Pseudo-nitzschia australis</i>, this bloom produced high levels of the neurotoxin domoic acid (DA). Through molecular and transcriptional characterization of 52 near-weekly phytoplankton net-tow samples collected at a bloom hotspot in Monterey Bay, California, we identified active transcription of known DA biosynthesis (<i>dab</i>) genes from the three identified toxigenic species, including <i>P. australis</i> as the primary origin of toxicity. Elevated expression of silicon transporters (<i>sit1</i>) during the bloom supports the previously hypothesized role of dissolved silica (Si) exhaustion in contributing to bloom physiology and toxicity. We find that coexpression of the <i>dabA</i> and <i>sit1</i> genes serves as a robust predictor of DA one week in advance, potentially enabling the forecasting of DA-producing HABs. We additionally present evidence that low levels of iron could have colimited the diatom population along with low Si. Iron limitation represents an overlooked driver of both toxin production and ecological success of the low-iron-adapted <i>Pseudo-nitzschia</i> genus during the 2015 bloom, and increasing pervasiveness of iron limitation may fuel the escalating magnitude and frequency of toxic <i>Pseudo-nitzschia</i> blooms globally. Our results advance understanding of bloom physiology underlying toxin production, bloom prediction, and the impact of global change on toxic blooms.

Proceedings of the National Academy of SciencesVol. 121(40)
University of Southern California (US), J. Craig Venter Institute (US), Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (US), Scripps Institution of Oceanography (US), University of California, Santa Cruz (US), University of Malaya (MY), University of California San Diego (US), Innovative Genomics Institute (US), University of California, Berkeley (US), Moss Landing Marine Laboratories (US)
National Science Foundation, University of Southern California, Innovative Genomics Institute, Universiti Malaya, National Institutes of Health, Directorate for Biological Sciences, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, University of California, San Diego, Division of Ocean Sciences, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
Life below water
Openalex Percentile: Top 2%
Marine Toxins and Detection Methods
8.01
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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