BMAA in shellfish from two Portuguese transitional water bodies suggests the marine dinoflagellate Gymnodinium catenatum as a potential BMAA source

• The neurotoxin -N-methylamino-l-alanine (BMAA) and its putative role in multiple neurodegenera-tive diseases have been intensely studied since 2005 when the toxin was discovered to be producedby worldwide-distributed cyanobacterial species inhabiting terrestrial, marine, brackish, and freshwaterecosystems. Recently, BMAA production was also associated with one eukaryotic group, namely, diatoms,raising questions about its production by other phytoplanktonic groups. To test for BMAA bioavailabilityin ecosystems where abundant phytoplanktonic blooms regularly occur, samples of filter-feeding shell-fish were collected in two Portuguese transitional water bodies. BMAA content in cockles (Cerastodermaedule) collected weekly between September and November 2009 from Ria de Aveiro and at least once amonth from May to November from Ria Formosa, fluctuated from 0.079 ± 0.055 to 0.354 ± 0.066 g/g DWand from below the limit of detection to 0.434 ± 0.110 g/g DW, respectively. Simultaneously to BMAAoccurrence in cockles, paralytic shellfish toxins were detected in shellfish as a result of Gymnodiniumcatenatum blooms indicating a possible link between this marine dinoflagellate and BMAA production.Moreover, considerable high BMAA levels, 0.457 ± 0.186 g/g DW, were then determined in a laboratorygrown culture of G. catenatum. This work reveals for the first time the presence of BMAA in shellfishfrom Atlantic transitional water bodies and consubstantiate evidences of G. catenatum as one of the mainsources of BMAA in these ecosystems.

Ämnesord

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Biologi (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Biological Sciences (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

β-N-methylamino-l-alanine (BMAA)

Dinoflagellates

Gymnodinium catenatum

Transitional water bodies

Cerastoderma edule

Bioaccumulation

Paralytic shellfish toxins

Portugal

Plant Physiology

växtfysiologi

Publikations- och innehållstyp

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