Inhibition of plant protein synthesis by the cyanobacterial hepatotoxin, cylindrospermopsin

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Cylindrospermopsin, a cyanobacterial guanidine alkaloid hepatotoxin and protein synthesis-inhibitor, was assayed for its effects on the germination of pollen from tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum cv Samsun NN). Pollen germination, measured by Alcian Blue dye-binding, was inhibited by cylindrospermopsin between 5 and 1000 μg ml−1. As a protein synthesis-inhibitor, cylindrospermopsin did not inhibit pollen germination to the same extent as cycloheximide on a gravimetric basis, but significantly reduced the amount of 14C-(U)-l-leucine labelling in pollen tubes. The inhibition of tobacco pollen germination may be amenable for development as a bioassay for cylindrospermopsin, although this would require a pre-concentration step for the monitoring of environmental samples. Implications of these observations for current spray-irrigation practices are discussed.