Cyanobacterial Neurotoxin Beta-Methyl-Amino-l-Alanine Affects Dopaminergic Neurons in Optic Ganglia and Brain of Daphnia magna

The non-proteinogenic amino acid beta-methyl-amino-l-alanine (BMAA) is a neurotoxin produced by cyanobacteria. BMAA accumulation in the brain of animals via biomagnification along the food web can contribute to the development of neurodegenerative diseases such as Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis/Parkinsonism dementia complex (ALS/PDC), the latter being associated with a loss of dopaminergic neurons. Daphnia magna is an important microcrustacean zooplankton species that plays a key role in aquatic food webs, and BMAA-producing cyanobacteria often form part of their diet. Here, we tested the effects of BMAA on putative neurodegeneration of newly identified specific dopaminergic neurons in the optic ganglia/brain complex of D. magna using quantitative tyrosine-hydroxylase immunohistochemistry and fluorescence cytometry. The dopaminergic system was analysed in fed and starved isogenic D. magna adults incubated under different BMAA concentrations over 4 days. Increased BMAA concentration showed significant decrease in the stainability of dopaminergic neurons of D. magna, with fed animals showing a more extreme loss. Furthermore, higher BMAA concentrations tended to increase offspring mortality during incubation. These results are indicative of ingested BMAA causing neurodegeneration of dopaminergic neurons in D. magna and adversely affecting reproduction. This may imply similar effects of BMAA on known human neurodegenerative diseases involving dopaminergic neurons.

NATURVETENSKAP Biologi Zoologi hsv//swe
NATURAL SCIENCES Biological Sciences Zoology hsv//eng
NATURVETENSKAP Geovetenskap och miljövetenskap Miljövetenskap hsv//swe
NATURAL SCIENCES Earth and Related Environmental Sciences Environmental Sciences hsv//eng
water flea
Daphnia magna
dopaminergic neurons
cyanobacterial toxin
BMAA
beta-methyl-amino-L-alanine
neurodegeneration
miljövetenskap
Environmental Sciences
zoologi
Zoology

Gáliková, MartinaStockholms universitet,Zoologiska institutionen(Swepub:su)mgali (author)
Dircksen, Heinrich,1954-Stockholms universitet,Zoologiska institutionen(Swepub:su)hdirc (author)
Stockholms universitetZoologiska institutionen (creator_code:org_t)

By the author/editor: Brooke-Jones, Me ...; Gáliková, Martin ...; Dircksen, Heinri ...

About the subject

NATURAL SCIENCES: NATURAL SCIENCES; and Earth and Relate ...; and Environmental Sc ...

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