Automation and miniaturization of solid-phase extraction for high-throughput analysis of cyanotoxins.

We present a resource-efficient method for automated sample preparation, designated to facilitate high-throughput analysis of microcystins and nodularin-R. These cyanotoxins, commonly associated with harmful algal blooms, are monitored to ensure the safety of drinking water and recreational water bodies. The method utilizes a liquid handling platform to flexibly process between 1 and 96 samples within one hour for subsequent LC-MS analysis, requiring only 5 mL of sample for triplicate analysis.

A cyclic lipopeptide produced by an antagonistic bacterium relies on its tail and transient receptor potential-type Ca channels to immobilize a green alga.

The antagonistic bacterium Pseudomonas protegens secretes the cyclic lipopeptide (CLiP) orfamide A, which triggers a Ca signal causing rapid deflagellation of the microalga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. We performed chemical synthesis of orfamide A derivatives and used an aequorin reporter line to measure their Ca responses. Immobilization of algae was studied using a modulator and mutants of transient receptor potential (TRP)-type channels.