Screening of BMAA-producing cyanobacteria in cultured isolates and in in situ blooms

Abstract

The amino acid β-N-methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA) was screened in 23 cyanobacteria strains, isolated from freshwater, estuarine, or marine environments, and at 7 freshwater locations supporting recurrent cyanobacteria blooms. BMAA was present in one estuarine and one marine strain. The estuarine strain Nostoc sp. 06077, a diazotrophic cyanobacterium, had BMAA growing in a marine-based as well as in a freshwater-based culture medium, with and without nitrogen supplementation. Testing of more than one culture medium showed that no one prevailed for the production of BMAA. In field samples comprising blooms, BMAA was also not detected (the limit of quantification of the method being 0.83 μg g−1). Highlighting that the mechanism by which BMAA-producing cultures emerge is still not elucidated, BMAA could not be related to the morphological or phylogenetic diversity of the strains or geographical origin. © 2016 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht