ArticlePloS one2011
The cyanobacterial hepatotoxin microcystin binds to proteins and increases the fitness of microcystis under oxidative stress conditions.
Article in PloS one, 2011. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 143 papers.
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Who cites it
143 citing papers in PubMed, 448 citations in OpenAlex.
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- Subcellular visualization and quantification of cyanotoxin synthesis in cyanobacteria reveals distinct compartmentation.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Secondary metabolism ofApplied and environmental microbiology · 2026Review
- Diverse Cyanopeptides follow distinct temporal succession patterns in freshwater harmful algal blooms.The ISME journal · 2026Article
- The ornithine-arginine cycle supported a toxic, metalimnic Planktothrix rubescens bloom.Harmful algae · 2026Article
- Cyanobacteria Under UV Radiation: General Insights into Stress Responses.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Review
- Tracking putativemSystems · 2025Article
- Impact of high temperature and UVR exposure on the microcystin production and mcyB gene expression in the cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa.Photochemical & photobiological sciences : Official journal of the European Photochemistry Association and the European Society for Photobiology · 2025Article
- Nitrogen Substrate Impacts Microcystis aeruginosa Exometabolome Composition.Environmental microbiology reports · 2025Article
- A family of tubular pili from harmful algal bloom forming cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa.Nature communications · 2025Article
- Differential impact of microcystins MC-LR and [D-LeuCurrent research in microbial sciences · 2025Article
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- Molecular investigation of harmful cyanobacteria reveals hidden risks and niche partitioning in Kenyan Lakes.Harmful algae · 2024Article
- Cyanobacterial Bloom Formation by Enhanced Ecological Adaptability and Competitive Advantage ofMicroorganisms · 2024Review
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- Toward a Predictive Understanding of Cyanobacterial Harmful Algal Blooms through AI Integration of Physical, Chemical, and Biological Data.ACS ES&T water · 2024Review
- Microbiome analysis revealsApplied and environmental microbiology · 2024Article
- UV radiation and temperature increase alter the PSII function and defense mechanisms in a bloom-forming cyanobacteriumFrontiers in microbiology · 2024Article
- Closed circular genome sequence of aMicrobiology resource announcements · 2023Article
83 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors at 5 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Microcystins are cyanobacterial toxins that represent a serious threat to drinking water and recreational lakes worldwide. Here, we show that microcystin fulfils an important function within cells of its natural producer Microcystis. The microcystin deficient mutant ΔmcyB showed significant changes in the accumulation of proteins, including several enzymes of the Calvin cycle, phycobiliproteins and two NADPH-dependent reductases. We have discovered that microcystin binds to a number of these proteins in vivo and that the binding is strongly enhanced under high light and oxidative stress conditions. The nature of this binding was studied using extracts of a microcystin-deficient mutant in vitro. The data obtained provided clear evidence for a covalent interaction of the toxin with cysteine residues of proteins. A detailed investigation of one of the binding partners, the large subunit of RubisCO showed a lower susceptibility to proteases in the presence of microcystin in the wild type. Finally, the mutant defective in microcystin production exhibited a clearly increased sensitivity under high light conditions and after hydrogen peroxide treatment. Taken together, our data suggest a protein-modulating role for microcystin within the producing cell, which represents a new addition to the catalogue of functions that have been discussed for microbial secondary metabolites.
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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.