Environmental and Physiological Regulation of Toxicity in Dinoflagellates

有毒的腰鞭毛虫在沿海沃茨零星地大量繁殖 在世界各地，经常引起麻痹性疾病的爆发， 贝类中毒（PSP）。经常性的经济和公共 这些水华对健康的影响包括人类的疾病和死亡 贝类资源的广泛检疫。虽然 PSP毒素的化学结构和药理活性 已经被很好地理解，它们在体内的代谢作用 甲藻仍然是未知的，因为是造成的因素， 不同地区分离株之间的毒性变异性 或在不同生长条件下的一个分离物中。内 亚历山大（Alexandrum）的一个区域人口背景（原 Gonyanulax）物种，安德森博士将继续调查， 四个研究领域。 具体而言，他将审查：a） 毒素产生的动力学，主要强调 我们现在假设毒素的产生 甲藻细胞周期; B）毒素产生的生理学， 通过研究高自由基的原因和影响， 精氨酸浓度的细胞和鉴定 参与毒素合成的蛋白质; c）毒素定位和 通过免疫细胞化学研究， 超微结构水平和努力纯化和表征 来自甲藻核的石房蛤毒素结合复合物;和d） 通过交配研究进行种群比较， 用分子方法来区分 亚历山大藻属的分离物。

Toxic dinoflagellates bloom sporadically in coastal waters throughout the world, often causing outbreaks of paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP). The recurrent economic and public health impacts of these blooms range from human illness and death to extensive quarantine of shellfish resources. Although the chemical structure and pharmacological activity of the PSP toxins are well understood, their metabolic role within the dinoflagellate remains unknown, as are the factors that cause variability in toxicity between isolates from different regions or in one isolate under different growth conditions. Within the context of a regional population of Alexandrium (formerly Gonyanulax) species, Dr. Anderson will continue investigations in four general research areas. Specifically, he will examine: a) the dynamics of toxin production with major emphasis on the link we are now hypothesizing between toxin production and the dinoflagellate cell cycle; b) the physiology of toxin production, through studies on the causes and effects of elevated free arginine concentrations in the cell and identification of proteins involved in toxin synthesis; c) toxin localization and function through immunocytochemical studies at the ultrastructural level and efforts to purify and characterize a saxitoxin-binding complex from the dinoflagellate nucleus; and d) population comparisons through mating studies and development of molecular methods to discriminate between closely-related isolates of Alexandrium.