Microcystis Sp. Co-Producing Microcystin and Saxitoxin from Songkhla Lake Basin, Thailand

The Songkhla Lake Basin (SLB) located in Southern Thailand, has been increasingly polluted by urban and industrial wastewater, while the lake water has been intensively used. Here, we aimed to investigate cyanobacteria and cyanotoxins in the SLB. Ten cyanobacteria isolates were identified as Microcystis genus based on16S rDNA analysis. All isolates harbored microcystin genes, while five of them carried saxitoxin genes. On day 15 of culturing, the specific growth rate and Chl-a content were 0.2-0.3 per day and 4 µg/mL. The total extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) content was 0.37-0.49 µg/mL. The concentration of soluble EPS (sEPS) was 2 times higher than that of bound EPS (bEPS). The protein proportion in both sEPS and bEPS was higher than the carbohydrate proportion. The average of intracellular microcystins (IMCs) was 0.47 pg/cell on day 15 of culturing, while extracellular microcystins (EMCs) were undetectable. The IMCs were dramatically produced at the exponential phase, followed by EMCs release at the late exponential phase. On day 30, the total microcystins (MCs) production reached 2.67 pg/cell. Based on liquid chromatograph-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry, three new MCs variants were proposed. This study is the first report of both decarbamoylsaxitoxin (dcSTX) and new MCs congeners synthesized by Microcystis.

Biodegradation of microcystin [Dha(7)]MC-LR by a novel microcystin-degrading bacterium in an internal airlift loop bioreactor

Cyanobacterial hepatotoxin microcystins are a health problem found in bodies of water in Thailand. Bacteria capable of biodegrading microcystin [Dha(7)]MC-LR were isolated from the Bueng Nong Khot reservoir in Khon Kaen, Thailand. The bacterium Novosphingobium isolate KKU25s was shown to degrade [Dha(7)]MC-LR at a concentration of 25 μg l(-1) at 30 °C within 24 h. Two intermediate by-products (linearized peptide and tetrapeptide) and a cluster gene (mlrA, mlrB, mlrC and mlrD) that encodes four putative enzymes involved in [Dha(7)]MC-LR degradation were detected in KKU25s. KKU25s was also shown to form strong biofilms in microtiter plate assays. These assays were carried out in preparation for use of the bacterium in a bioreactor for [Dha(7)]MC-LR degradation. In an internal airlift loop bioreactor, the biodegradation of [Dha(7)]MC-LR by the bacterium was established in batch and continuous flow experiments. In the batch experiment, KKU25s degraded [Dha(7)]MC-LR at a concentration of 25 μg l(-1) at 30 °C within 24 h, whereas in the continuous flow experiment, KKU25s degraded the toxin at the same concentration within 36 h. This study demonstrated that this bacterium could potentially be used to remove microcystins from water.