Toxicity at the Edge of Life: A Review on Cyanobacterial Toxins from Extreme Environments.

Mar Drugs

Departamento de Biología, Darwin, 2, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049 Madrid, Spain.

Published: July 2017

AI Article Synopsis

  • Cyanotoxins, toxic compounds from cyanobacteria, exist in extreme environments like polar deserts, alkaline lakes, and hot springs, extending beyond their known presence in temperate freshwater.
  • The review highlights various cyanotoxins detected in these habitats, including neurotoxins and hepatotoxins, with microcystins being the most common.
  • It emphasizes important knowledge gaps in research, such as limited culture confirmations and lack of -omics data, which are critical for assessing ecological and human health risks in these unique ecosystems.

Article Abstract

Cyanotoxins are secondary metabolites produced by cyanobacteria, of varied chemical nature and toxic effects. Although cyanobacteria thrive in all kinds of ecosystems on Earth even under very harsh conditions, current knowledge on cyanotoxin distribution is almost restricted to freshwaters from temperate latitudes. In this review, we bring to the forefront the presence of cyanotoxins in extreme environments. Cyanotoxins have been reported especially in polar deserts (both from the Arctic and Antarctica) and alkaline lakes, but also in hot deserts, hypersaline environments, and hot springs. Cyanotoxins detected in these ecosystems include neurotoxins-anatoxin-a, anatoxin-a (S), paralytic shellfish toxins, β-methylaminopropionic acid, -(2-aminoethyl) glycine and 2,4-diaminobutyric acid- and hepatotoxins -cylindrospermopsins, microcystins and nodularins-with microcystins being the most frequently reported. Toxin production there has been linked to at least eleven cyanobacterial genera yet only three of these (, and ) have been confirmed as producers in culture. Beyond a comprehensive analysis of cyanotoxin presence in each of the extreme environments, this review also identifies the main knowledge gaps to overcome (e.g., scarcity of isolates and -omics data, among others) toward an initial assessment of ecological and human health risks in these amazing ecosystems developing at the very edge of life.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5532675PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/md15070233DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

extreme environments
12
edge life
8
environments cyanotoxins
8
toxicity edge
4
life review
4
review cyanobacterial
4
cyanobacterial toxins
4
toxins extreme
4
environments
4
cyanotoxins
4

Similar Publications

Triboelectric tactile sensor for pressure and temperature sensing in high-temperature applications.

Nat Commun

January 2025

Guangxi Key Laboratory of Clean Pulp & Papermaking and Pollution Control, School of Light Industry and Food Engineering, Guangxi University, Nanning, 530004, PR China.

Skin-like sensors capable of detecting multiple stimuli simultaneously have great potential in cutting-edge human-machine interaction. However, realizing multimodal tactile recognition beyond human tactile perception still faces significant challenges. Here, an extreme environments-adaptive multimodal triboelectric sensor was developed, capable of detecting pressure/temperatures beyond the range of human perception.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The present study aimed to investigate the hydrogeochemical patterns and contamination of the radiogeology, especially radon activity, related to geothermal aquifer properties and to perform a risk assessment of annual effective doses covering all hydrothermal spring attractions in Southern Thailand. Radon is an established lung carcinogen; especially longer term exposure to radioactive radon through inhalation could be a cause of lung cancer risk. Altogether 22 hydrothermal spring samples were collected from the six hydrothermal provinces in Southern Thailand in early November of 2023.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

High-Definition, Video-Rate Triple-Channel NIR-II Imaging Using Shadowless Lamp Excitation and Illumination.

ACS Nano

January 2025

State Key Laboratory of Extreme Photonics and Instrumentations, Centre for Optical and Electromagnetic Research, College of Optical Science and Engineering, International Research Center for Advanced Photonics, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China.

Multichannel imaging in the second near-infrared (NIR-II) window offers vital and comprehensive information for complex surgical environments, yet a simple, high-quality, video-rate multichannel imaging method with low safety risk remains to be proposed. Centered at the superior NIR-IIx window of 1400-1500 nm, triple-channel imaging coordinated with 1000-1100 and 1700-1880 nm (NIR-IIc) achieves exceptional clarity and an impressive signal-to-crosstalk ratio as high as 22.10.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Mechanisms of thermal, acid, desiccation and osmotic tolerance of spp.

Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr

January 2025

College of Food Science and Engineering, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China.

spp. exhibit remarkable resilience to extreme environmental stresses, including thermal, acidic, desiccation, and osmotic conditions, posing significant challenges to food safety. Their thermotolerance relies on heat shock proteins (HSPs), thermotolerance genomic islands, enhanced DNA repair mechanisms, and metabolic adjustments, ensuring survival under high-temperature conditions.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

All-solid-state batteries designed for operation under extreme cold conditions.

Nat Commun

January 2025

School of Advanced Materials, Peking University, Shenzhen Graduate School, Shenzhen, 518055, China.

A pressing need for enhancing lithium-ion battery (LIB) performance exists, particularly in ensuring reliable operation under extreme cold conditions. All-solid-state batteries (ASSBs) offer a promising solution to the challenges posed by conventional LIBs with liquid electrolytes in low-temperature environments. In this study, leveraging the benefits of amorphous solid-state electrolytes (SSEs) xLiN-TaCl (1 ≤ 3x ≤ 2), we develop ASSBs capable of functioning effectively under extreme cold conditions.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!