ArticleJournal of molecular evolution2008
Identification of a saxitoxin biosynthesis gene with a history of frequent horizontal gene transfers.
Article in Journal of molecular evolution, 2008. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 29 papers.
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Who cites it
29 citing papers in PubMed, 101 citations in OpenAlex.
- Stress genomics of the toxigenic cyanobacteria: environmental and biotechnological perspectives.World journal of microbiology & biotechnology · 2025Review
- Novel Toxin Biosynthetic Gene Cluster in Harmful Algal Bloom-Causing Heteroscytonema crispum: Insights into the Origins of Paralytic Shellfish Toxins.Genome biology and evolution · 2025Article
- Toxin Dynamics among Populations of the Bioluminescent HAB SpeciesMarine drugs · 2024Article
- Review
- Metabolomics Applied to Cyanobacterial Toxins and Natural Products.Advances in experimental medicine and biology · 2023Review
- Genetic association of toxin production in the dinoflagellateMicrobial genomics · 2022Article
- Structural Basis for Control of Methylation Extent in Polyketide Synthase Metal-DependentACS chemical biology · 2022Article
- Article
- Review
- From theFrontiers in microbiology · 2021Article
- Current Status and Future Strategies to Increase Secondary Metabolite Production from Cyanobacteria.Microorganisms · 2020Review
- Article
- Metabolomic study of saxitoxin analogues and biosynthetic intermediates in dinoflagellates usingScientific reports · 2019Article
- Sources and Fates of Carbamyl Phosphate: A Labile Energy-Rich Molecule with Multiple Facets.Biology · 2018Review
- Chemistry of a Unique Polyketide-like Synthase.Journal of the American Chemical Society · 2018Article
- Guanidinium Toxins and Their Interactions with Voltage-Gated Sodium Ion Channels.Marine drugs · 2017Review
- Moving towards adaptive management of cyanotoxin-impaired water bodies.Microbial biotechnology · 2016Review
- Article
- Relationship of proteomic variation and toxin synthesis in the dinoflagellate Alexandrium tamarense CI01 under phosphorus and inorganic nitrogen limitation.Ecotoxicology (London, England) · 2015Article
- Article
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issuedMichali, Troco Kaan [corrected to Mihali, Troco Kaan]; Neilan, Brett Adam [corrected to Neilan, Brett Anthony]
Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) toxins, saxitoxin, and its derivatives, are produced by a complex and unique biosynthetic pathway. It involves reactions that are rare in other metabolic pathways, however, distantly related organisms, such as dinoflagellates and cyanobacteria, produce these toxins by an identical pathway. Speculative explanations for the unusual phylogenetic distribution of this metabolic pathway have been proposed, including a polyphyletic origin, the involvement of symbiotic bacteria, and horizontal gene transfer. This study describes for the first time the identity of one gene, sxt1, that is involved in the biosynthesis of saxitoxin in cyanobacteria. It encoded an O-carbamoyltransferase (OCTASE) that was proposed to carbamoylate the hydroxymethyl side chain of saxitoxin precursor. Orthologues of sxt1 were exclusively present in PSP-toxic strains of cyanobacteria and had a high sequence similarity to each other. L. wollei had a naturally mutated sxt1 gene that encoded an inactive enzyme, and was incapable of producing carbamoylated PSP-toxin analogues, supporting the proposed function of Sxt1. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that OCATSE genes were present exclusively in prokaryotic organisms and were characterized by a high rate of horizontal gene transfer. OCTASE has most likely evolved from an ancestral O-sialoglycoprotein endopeptidase from proteobacteria, whereas the most likely phylogenetic origin of sxt1 was an ancestral alpha-proteobacterium. The phylogeny of sxt1 suggested that the entire set of genes required for saxitoxin biosynthesis may spread by horizontal gene transfer.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.