Comparative PCR analysis of toxic Nodularia spumigena and non-toxic Nodularia harveyana (Nostocales, Cyanobacteria) with respect to the nodularin synthetase gene cluster

摘要

A comparative PCR analysis of the nodularin synthetase gene cluster (nda) of two closely related Nodularia strains from the Baltic Sea was performed. Unlike the nodularin-producing Nodularia spumigena Huebel 1988/306, all 11 tested nda sequences were absent in the non-toxic Nodularia harveyana Huebel 1983/300. Our results suggest that the benthic N. harveyana strain lacks the entire 48-kb nodularin synthetase gene cluster. We describe new primers and the requisite experimental conditions for screening different nda sequences.